William Pilling

Born in Liverpool on November 12, 1834, William Pilling later emigrated to Buenos Aires in 1852. Sources describe him as a journalist who eventually owned his own newspaper, and as a writer who moved back and forth between Argentina and England over the years.

Pilling is chiefly remembered today for his 1893 English version of Bartolomé Mitre’s history of José de San Martín, published as The Emancipation of South America. Rather than a literal translation, it was presented as a condensed version, suggesting a practical, editorial approach as well as a translator’s ear for what English readers would follow.

Some basic details of his later life remain uncertain across modern catalogs and reference sites. One research source gives his lifespan as 1834–1915, while other library-style records are more cautious, so it is safest to say that he was active in the late nineteenth century and is known mainly through his work linking Argentine history with an English-speaking audience.