John William Cousin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John W. Cousin
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| Born | John William Cousin 1849 Scotland |
| Died | December 1910 United Kingdom |
| Pen name | John W. Cousin, J.W. Cousin |
| Occupation | Writer, editor |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Genre | Non-fiction, biographies, encyclopedias, literary criticism |
| Notable works | A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature |
John William Cousin (1849–1910) was a talented writer, editor, and biographer from Scotland. He is most famous for creating a special book called A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. This book helps people learn about many important writers and literary figures.
John W. Cousin was born in Scotland in 1849. His mother, Anne Ross Cousin, was a well-known writer of hymns, which are songs of praise. John was one of six children in his family.
Contents
John W. Cousin's Life and Work
John William Cousin was a very busy person. Besides being a writer, he was also a fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries. This means he was an expert in a field that uses math to study risks, like for insurance. He also worked as the secretary of the Actuarial Society of Edinburgh.
Helping with Famous Books
In 1907, John W. Cousin helped with a famous poem called Evangeline. This poem was written by an American poet named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. John revised the poem and wrote a new introduction for it.
His Most Famous Book: A Dictionary of Writers
John W. Cousin is best remembered for editing A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. This book is like a mini-encyclopedia about many different authors and people important in literature. It was first published in 1910.
The "Everyman's Library" Series
His famous dictionary was part of a special collection of books called the "Everyman Library" series. This series was created by J.M. Dent, a publisher who wanted to make classic books available to everyone at a good price.
Lasting Impact of His Work
John W. Cousin's hard work on his dictionary continued to be useful long after he passed away. A lot of the information he gathered was later used by another writer, David Clayton Browning. Browning used Cousin's work to create a new book called Everyman's Dictionary of Literary Biography. This book came out in 1958 and was printed many times in the 1960s and 1970s. This shows how important and helpful John W. Cousin's original work was.
