Later in his career, Smeaton also published books on Scottish antiquities and edited English literary text, ballads and collections of verse and prose.
William Smeaton was born in Aberdeen, Scotland on 24 October 1856, the youngest son of a clergyman and university professor.
He was educated at Edinburgh University and intended to enter the clergy himself but abandoned his religious studies for personal reasons.
Moving to Edinburgh, he began writing about Australian life and literature for various publications in Victorian Britain, including a multi-volume effort popularly known as the "Famous Scots Series".
[5] In addition, he also edited books on Scottish antiquities and English literature including works by William Shakespeare, Thomas Dekker, John Ford and others.