The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Johnson, Rossiter

JOHNSON, Rossiter, American author and editor: b. Rochester, N. Y., 27 Jan. 1840. He was graduated at the University of Rochester in 1863 and was associate editor of the Rochester Democrat 1864-68. From 1869 to 1872 he edited the Concord (N. H.) Statesman; and in 1873-77 was associated with George Ripley and Charles A. Dana in editing the American Cyclopædia, while in 1879-80 he aided Sydney Howard Gay in his ‘History of the United States.’ In 1883-1902 he was editor of the Annual Cyclopædia, and since 1900 has been editor of the ‘Universal Cyclopædia.’ He edited the series of ‘Little Classics’ (18 vols., 1874-80); ‘Liber Scriptorum’ (1893), and was editor-in-chief of the ‘World's Great Books’ (50 vols., 1898-1901); ‘Great Events by Famous Historians’ (20 vols., 1904), and of ‘The Authors' Digest’ (1909). In 1906, in collaboration with Dora Knowlton Ranous, he edited ‘The Literature of Italy’ (16 vols., 1906). His original works include ‘Phaeton Rogers,’ a novel of boy life (1881); ‘A History of the French War ending in the Conquest of Canada’ (1882); ‘History of the War of 1812’ (1882); ‘Idler and Poet,’ verse (1883); ‘History of the War of Secession’ (1888); ‘The End of a Rainbow,’ a story (1892); ‘The Hero of Manila’ (1899); ‘Short History of the War with Spain’ (1899); ‘Morning Lights and Evening Shadows,’ poems (1902); ‘The Alphabet of Rhetoric’ (1903); ‘The Clash of Nations’ (1914); ‘Captain John Smith’ (1915), and ‘Episodes of the Civil War’ (1916); ‘Biography of Helen Kendricks Johnson’ (1917).