Henry Austin Clapp

Clapp, Henry Austin (1841–1904), critic. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, he was educated at Harvard, then taught at the Boston Latin School before becoming drama critic for the Boston Advertiser. He remained with the paper for more than twenty years, switching to the Herald two years prior to his death. Known as well as a leading Shakespearean scholar and student of dramatic history, Clapp regularly toured the country, lecturing in his field. He also wrote on theatre for many newspapers away from Boston, including such New York dailies as the Sun, Tribune, and World. He is best remembered for his Reminiscences of a Dramatic Critic (1902). His style reflected the leisurely, elongated construction of his era, but was marked by genuine erudition, peppery wit, and a determined fairness.