author
Wm. K. (William King) David
Best known for compiling a sprawling collection of household formulas, remedies, and practical tricks, this late-19th-century writer and publisher worked in the world of inexpensive how-to books. His surviving record is thin, which gives his work the feel of a small time capsule from everyday American print culture.
1 Audiobook
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians
by Wm. K. (William King) David
About the author
Wm. K. David, identified in library and digitized-book records as William King David, is best known for Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians. The book presents recipes, remedies, and practical household and workshop knowledge in the popular instructional style of the late 1800s.
The available evidence suggests he was not only a writer but also closely involved in publishing and editing his own practical manuals. Contemporary title pages for Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians describe it as compiled and written by him, and also credit him with other utilitarian works such as The Short-Rule Arithmetic and Accountant’s Referee and perpetual calendar publications.
Beyond those book records, confirmed biographical details about his life are scarce. No reliable portrait turned up in the sources I checked, so this overview sticks to what can be supported by catalog and digitized-edition evidence rather than guessing at the person behind the byline.