author
William Reid
A Glasgow bookseller with a gift for lively verse, this Scottish poet is remembered for songs and comic pieces that found a place in popular collections. His work carries the feel of everyday life, wit, and the bustling literary world of late 18th- and early 19th-century Scotland.
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About the author
Born in Glasgow on April 10, 1764, William Reid was a Scottish poet and bookseller. Early sources describe him as apprenticed in the book trade before going on to build a successful bookselling business in Glasgow, a background that kept him close to the reading public and the popular song culture of his time.
Reid became known for writing short poems and songs, including humorous and satirical pieces. Later editors and literary reference works remembered him less as a grand literary figure than as a writer whose verses were widely enjoyed and often preserved in song collections, which helps explain why his name still appears in public-domain libraries today.
He died in 1831. While biographical details are fairly sparse in the sources I could confirm, the surviving record presents him as one of those writers whose reputation grew out of local literary life, print culture, and an ear for memorable popular verse.