author
William Allan Neilson
1869–1946
A literary scholar, editor, and college leader, he helped shape how generations of readers approached English literature. His work moved easily between the classroom, the dictionary page, and the wider world of books.
2 Audiobooks
Robert Burns: How To Know Him
by William Allan Neilson
The Facts About Shakespeare
by William Allan Neilson, Ashley Horace Thorndike
About the author
Born in Doune, Scotland, in 1869, William Allan Neilson studied at the University of Edinburgh and later earned a Ph.D. at Harvard. He taught in Canada and the United States, including posts at Bryn Mawr, Columbia, and Harvard, building a reputation as a scholar of English literature and especially of Shakespeare.
Neilson is remembered not only as a teacher and critic but also as an editor and lexicographer. He worked on Shakespeare editions, wrote literary studies, and served as editor in chief of Webster’s New International Dictionary, bringing scholarly care to reference books used by countless readers.
From 1917 to 1939 he was president of Smith College, where he led the school through a long period of growth and change. He died in 1946, leaving behind a career that joined serious scholarship with a strong belief in broad, accessible education.