author
William Smith
1813–1893
Best known for making the ancient world easier to explore, this Victorian scholar edited landmark dictionaries on Greek and Roman history, mythology, geography, and antiquities. His books helped shape how classics were taught in schools for generations.
3 Audiobooks
A Smaller History of Rome from the Earliest Times to the Establishment of the Empire
by William Smith, Eugene Lawrence
A Smaller Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
by William Smith
About the author
Born in Enfield in 1813, William Smith first trained for the law but taught himself the classics so well that he won prizes in Greek and Latin at University College. He soon moved into teaching and publishing, building a career that joined deep scholarship with a gift for explaining difficult subjects clearly.
He became famous as the editor of major reference works including A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, and Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. He also produced school dictionaries and the Principia series, books that were widely used in the teaching of Latin and Greek.
Later, Smith turned much of his attention to biblical and ecclesiastical reference works, including Smith's Bible Dictionary. Knighted in 1892, he died the following year in 1893, remembered as one of the great Victorian makers of scholarly books for students and general readers alike.