William Alexander Clouston
Encyclopedia
William Alexander Clouston (1843 – 23 October 1896) of Orkney was a 19th century British
folklorist.
A Supplement to Alliborne's Dictionary (1891, pp. 349-350), as quoted in Folklore, gives the following biographical information:
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
folklorist.
A Supplement to Alliborne's Dictionary (1891, pp. 349-350), as quoted in Folklore, gives the following biographical information:
b. 1843, at StromnessStromnessStromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
, Orkney IslandsOrkney IslandsOrkney also known as the Orkney Islands , is an archipelago in northern Scotland, situated north of the coast of Caithness...
, of an old NorseNorsemenNorsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
family, in early life was engaged in commercial pursuits in GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but relinquished these to engage in journalismJournalismJournalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and literature; he edited several Scotch provincial newspapers, 1871-79, and is a writer for the Glasgow Herald, Evening TimesEvening TimesThe Evening Times is an evening tabloid newspaper published Monday to Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland.-History:The paper, an evening sister paper of The Herald, was established in 1876. The paper's slogan is "Nobody Knows Glasgow Better"....
, &c. He has given
particular attention to Oriental fiction and folklore, and contributed to Sir R. F. Burton's "Supplemental Arabian Nights" analogues and variants of some of the tales in vols. I-III.
Books by W.A. Clouston
- Arabian Poetry for English Readers
- Flowers from a Persian Garden and Other Papers
- Book of Wise Sayings: Selected Largely from Eastern Sources
- The Book of Noodles : Stories Of Simpletons; Or, Fools And Their Follies