Masson, David

Masson, David, an eminent Scottish author, born at Aberdeen, 2d December 1822, educated at Marischal College in that city, and at the university of Edinburgh. At nineteen he became editor of a Scotch provincial paper, and later joined the literary staff of W. & R. Chambers. In 1847 he settled in London, writing for the reviews, the Encyclopædia Britannica, and the English Encyclopædia. In 1852 he succeeded Clongh in the chair of English Literature in University College; in 1865 he became professor of English Literature in the university of Edinburgh, a post he resigned in 1895. Masson edited Macmillan's Magazine from 1859 to 1868. His first published work was his Essays, Biographical and Critical (1856), reprinted with later essays in 3 vols. (1874–76) entitled respectively Wordsworth, Shelley, and Keats; The Three Devils—Luther's, Milton's, and Goethe's; and Chatterton, a Story of the Year 1770. His great work is his ponderous Life of John Milton, narrated in connection with the Political, Ecclesiastical, and Literary History of his Time (6 vols. 1859–80), the most complete biography of any Englishman, and of great value for the contemporary history. Other works are British Novelists and their Styles (1859); Recent British Philosophy (1865); Drummond of Hawthornden: the Story of his Life and Writings (1873); the 'Cambridge' edition of Milton, with introductions, notes, and an essay on Milton's English (3 vols. 1874; new ed. 1890), the 'Golden Treasury' edition (2 vols. 1874), and the 'Globe' edition (1877). Later works are De Quincey (1878) in the 'Men of Letters' series, and his edition of De Quincey's works (14 vols. 1889–91), besides some volumes of Sketches and Essays (1892 and 1894). He was Rhind lecturer in 1885, during 1879–98 he edited the Register of the Privy-council of Scotland, and in 1893 became Historiographer Royal for Scotland.