William Taylor Adams (July 30, 1822 – March 27, 1897), pseudonym Oliver Optic, was an academic, author, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

[11] This experience naturally brought him closely into contact with boys, and he learned much of what interested them, which had a good deal to do with his eventual success as an author.

Extensive travel abroad and a deep knowledge of boats, farming, and practical mechanics were other factors that gave his works reality.

[3] Adams first began to write at the age of 28, and his first book, Hatchie, the Guardian Slave (1853),[7] was published under the pseudonym of Warren T. Ashton.

[14] Though "Oliver Optic" was the pseudonym he used most, his work also appeared under the bylines "Irving Brown," "Clingham Hunter, M.D.," and "Old Stager."