Bowdler, Thomas (1754-1825), a British scholar and doctor of medicine, edited Family Shakespeare. The first edition was published in four volumes in 1807 but became better known in a 10-volume edition published in 1818.
Bowdler admired the plays of the great English dramatist William Shakespeare but objected to lines he believed would offend readers. To correct this problem, Bowdler tampered with some important words and passages. Henrietta Maria Bowdler, his sister, may have assisted him. Bowdler claimed his goal was to provide texts “in which nothing is added to the original; but those words and expressions are omitted which cannot with propriety be read in a family.” The 1818 edition of Family Shakespeare became extremely popular and helped make Shakespeare’s plays known to a wide audience. Many critics of the 1800’s praised Bowdler’s edition for making Shakespeare’s plays suitable for women and children. But later scholars have regarded Bowdler’s approach as prudish and misguided. Today, the word bowdlerize refers to editing that removes or alters language thought to be improper.
Bowdler was born on July 11, 1754, near Bath, England. He died on Feb. 24, 1825.
