Thomas Bulfinch
Who was Thomas Bulfinch?
American writer and mythologist (1796-1867)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Thomas Bulfinch (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Thomas Bulfinch was born on July 15, 1796, in Newton, Massachusetts, to the well-known architect Charles Bulfinch, who designed the United States Capitol dome and many other important buildings. Growing up in a family that valued art, learning, and intellectual goals, Thomas was introduced early to the cultural ideals that would shape his work. He went to Phillips Exeter Academy and later Harvard College, where he graduated in 1814. Although he came from a notable family and had a good education, Thomas Bulfinch spent much of his adult life with modest finances, working as a clerk at the Merchant's Bank in Boston for many years.
Bulfinch never married and led a relatively quiet life for his time, yet he used his evenings and free time for writing and study. His banking career was steady but not noteworthy, and he aimed to make a greater impact through literature. He believed strongly that the myths and legends of ancient civilizations should be available to everyone, not just scholars. He wrote in a clear, friendly style to make Greek, Roman, Norse, and other mythologies accessible to a wide American audience.
His most important work, The Age of Fable, came out in 1855, followed by The Age of Chivalry in 1858 and Legends of Charlemagne in 1863. These three books were later combined and published after his death as Bulfinch's Mythology, the title by which his work is known today. Each book aimed to make ancient stories understandable and fun without needing readers to know Latin or Greek. He often included quotes from English poets like Milton, Keats, and Tennyson to show how mythological themes are still relevant in literature.
Bulfinch died on May 27, 1867, in Boston, Massachusetts, at seventy. He didn't live to see his full posthumous fame, as his three books were combined into one after his death. Even though he spent his career as a bank clerk, his writings have stayed in print and introduced generations of readers to the basic myths of Western and other world cultures. His work holds a unique spot in American literature as the work of a self-taught mythographer outside academia whose book has been widely used in schools and libraries for over a century.
Before Fame
Thomas Bulfinch grew up in the early years of the American republic as the son of Charles Bulfinch, one of the country's leading architects. This refined and classical environment influenced his interests, though it didn't ensure financial stability. After graduating from Harvard College in 1814, he tried several businesses, including a time in Boston and a brief period in the South, before settling into a long career as a clerk at the Merchant's Bank of Boston.
Writing wasn't Bulfinch's primary career. He spent most of his working life in banking, writing during his spare time. He was nearly sixty when The Age of Fable came out in 1855. His goal was educational and democratic: he wanted to give American readers without classical training the tools to understand mythological references in literature and art, a goal connected to his time's focus on self-improvement and his own experience as a passionate but non-specialist reader.
Key Achievements
- Published The Age of Fable (1855), a widely read retelling of Greek and Roman mythology for general audiences
- Authored The Age of Chivalry (1858), covering Arthurian legend and medieval romance
- Wrote Legends of Charlemagne (1863), extending his mythology project to medieval European epic traditions
- Produced a body of work posthumously collected as Bulfinch's Mythology, which remained in continuous print for over 150 years
- Made classical mythology accessible to non-specialist American readers without requiring knowledge of Latin or Greek
Did You Know?
- 01.Thomas Bulfinch's father, Charles Bulfinch, was the architect responsible for completing the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
- 02.Bulfinch worked as a clerk at the Merchant's Bank in Boston for approximately thirty years, writing his famous mythology books during evenings and free time.
- 03.He was nearly sixty years old when his first major work, The Age of Fable, was published in 1855.
- 04.The title Bulfinch's Mythology was not used during his lifetime; it was applied posthumously when his three separate volumes were combined into one edition.
- 05.Bulfinch intentionally filled his mythology texts with quotations from English-language poets to show American readers how ancient myths permeated modern literature.