Sir William Smith (1813 – 1893), English lexicographer, was born at Enfield[citation needed] in 1813 of Nonconformist parents. He was originally destined for a theological career, but instead was articled to a
solicitor. In his spare time he taught himself classics, and
when he entered University College London he carried off both the Greek and
Latin prizes. He was entered at Gray's Inn in 1830, but gave up his legal studies for a post
at University College School, and began to write on classical subjects.
He next turned his attention to practical lexicography. His first attempt was the
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, which
appeared in 1842. The greater part of this was written by him. In 1849 followed the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, and the
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography in 1857. In this
work some of the leading scholars of the day were associated with him. In 1850 he published the first of the school dictionaries;
and in 1853 he began the Principia series, which marked a distinct step in the school teaching of Greek and Latin. Then came the Students' Manuals of History and
Literature, in which the Greek history was the editor's own work. In carrying out this task Smith was most ably seconded by
John Murray, the publisher, who, when the original publishers of the
dictionaries got into difficulties, volunteered to take a share in the undertaking. The most important, perhaps, of the books
edited by Smith were those that dealt with ecclesiastical subjects. These were the
Dictionary of the Bible (1860–1865); the Dictionary of Christian Antiquities (1875-1880), undertaken in
collaboration with Archdeacon Samuel Cheetham; and the
Dictionary of Christian Biography (1877–1887), jointly with Dr. Henry Wace. The
Atlas, on which Sir George Grove collaborated, appeared in 1875. From 1853 to 1869
Smith was classical examiner to the University of London, and on his retirement he
became a member of the Senate. He sat on the Committee to inquire into questions of copyright, and was for several years
registrar of the Royal Literary Fund. He edited
Gibbon, with Guizot's and Milman's notes, in 1854–1855. In 1867, he became editor of the Quarterly Review, which he
directed with marked success until his death; his remarkable memory and accuracy, as well as his tact and courtesy, specially
fitting him for such a post. He was DCL of Oxford
and Dublin, and the honour of knighthood was conferred on him the year before his death
(7 October 1893). He was survived by his wife and brother.
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