author
William Swinton
1833–1892
A Scottish-born journalist and teacher who turned Civil War reporting into vivid history, he later became one of the most widely read textbook writers of his day. His career moved from newspapers and classrooms to the front lines and back again, always with a strong interest in language and education.
1 Audiobook
New Word-Analysis Or, School Etymology of English Derivative Words
by William Swinton
About the author
Born in Scotland in 1833, he moved with his family to Canada in 1843 and later studied at Knox College and Amherst. Before becoming widely known as a writer, he taught in North Carolina and New York, and for a time prepared for the ministry before leaving that path behind.
In the 1850s he joined the New York Times as a book reviewer and became part of the literary world around Walt Whitman. Sources describe him as a friend and collaborator of Whitman, with a shared interest in language and philology; his book Rambles Among Words grew out of that fascination.
During the Civil War he worked as a war correspondent for the New York Times, then used that experience in books on the conflict, including Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac and The Twelve Decisive Battles of the War. After a period as a professor of English at the University of California, he devoted himself to educational publishing and wrote successful schoolbooks on history, geography, spelling, grammar, and literature.