author

William James Harris

Known today for a single surviving bibliographic work, this early 20th-century writer set out to map the first English translations of major foreign classics. His book offers a compact glimpse into how literary history was studied and organized for students of the time.

1 Audiobook

The First Printed Translations into English of the Great Foreign Classics A Supplement to Text-Books of English Literature

The First Printed Translations into English of the Great Foreign Classics A Supplement to Text-Books of English Literature

by William James Harris

About the author

William James Harris is best known as the author of The First Printed Translations into English of the Great Foreign Classics, originally published in 1909. The book was designed as a practical reference for students and library exam candidates, gathering information on when major works from other languages first appeared in English.

The work is less a conventional literary study than a carefully arranged bibliography, showing Harris's interest in books, translation, and the ways world literature entered English reading culture. Modern readers are most likely to encounter him through reprints, library catalogs, and Project Gutenberg, where the book has remained accessible.

Very little biographical information about him was confirmed in the sources reviewed here, so it is safest to remember him through the usefulness of his scholarship rather than through a detailed life story.