Kitto, John, one of the most eminent Biblical schol- ars of this age, was born at riymouth, England, Nov. 4, IMOI. To humlile birth was addedj in his twelfth year, the atilictiou of a total loss of his sense of bearing; but neither [loverty nor bodily defei t were suflicicnt to deter tlie aml)itious and energetic youth from the accpiisition of knowledge. Every effort that could possibly be put
forth to secure books was made ; to pay for a few books from a circulating library, he groped for old iron and ropes in Sutton Pool, and with the few pennies obtained by this irksome task he supplied himself witli the ele- ments of an education. The destitution of his parents obliged them at last to place John in the "workhouse" at riymouth, where he was admitted Nov. 15, 1819, and taught the shoemaker's trade. In this place his pow- erful will soon asserted his position against older and stronger boys, and here he began in 1820 a diary winch is still preserved, and large excerpts from which have been printed in his Life. It contains many self-portraits, physical and mental, and shows the awakening of his mind to Hterary tastes and ambition. In his trade, however, he was often so dull and dispirited that he called himself '• Jolni the Comfortless," nnd twice had thoughts of bringing his life to a premature end. In 1821 he was hired out to a shoemaker, but his awk- wardness and tendency to books greatly irritated his master, and John was submitted to such harsh treat- ment that he was readmitted to the workhouse about six months later. In the year following he finally brought out some essays in Nettleton's Phjuiouth Jour- nal, and also wrote some imaginary correspondence. These efforts attracted attention, and he was by the in- terposition of several gentlemen removed to Exeter to become a dentist. In 1825 he published a volume of Essays and Letters, which, though it afforded him but a small pccuniarj- remuneration, secured him many friends, made him quite generally known, and finally resulted in a complete change of basis for life. Instead of per- fecting himself in the art of dentistry, he accepted an offer to enter the ^Missionary College at Islington, where he was to be taught the art of printing ^vith a view to service in some foreign missionary institution. In June, 1827, he was sent out to Malta; but, his health declin- ing, he returned to England in 1829. Shortly after this his former employer, Mr. Groves, the dentist, desired a tutor for his children, to accompany him on a tour East, and selected Kitto for the position. He was now af- forded a sight of a large part of Europe and Asia, and acquired that familiarity with the scenery and customs of the East which was aftervrards of such signal service in the department of literature to which he became de- voted. In turn he visited St. Petersburg, Astrachan, the Calmucks, Tatars, the Caucasus, Armenia, Persia, and Bagdad, and liy way of Trebizond and Constanti- nople retimied to England in 1833. Through the influ- ence of friends he gained attention by a series of papers in the Pennij M(i<i<izine (one of these under the sugges- tive title " The Deaf Traveller"), and by other literary efforts.
In 1835 Kitto finally entered upon the preparation of that class of Avorks which have so justly secured him a prominent place in the field of letters. In this j^ear Mr. Charles Knight, then the editor of the Penny Mag- azine, suggested to Kitto the preparation of a "Picto- rial Bible." All that Kitto needed was the suggestion. He not onh' eagerly emljraced the proposal, but earnest- ly entreated to be allowed to undertake the responsibil- ity of the entire work. The expiration of scarcely more than two j-ears saw the Pictorial Bible finished (new edit. 1847, 4 vols. 8vo), and shortly after (in 1838) he embodied a great portion of his experience in Persia in two small volumes, Uncle Olircr's Trar-els, Next fol- lowed (1839-40) n. Pictorial History of Pakdine and the Holy Land. From 1841 to 1843 he found employment in preparing the letter-press for the Galh ry of Scripture Enyravinr/s, in 3 vols. In 1843 he wrote a History of Palestine (iniblished by A. and C. Black, of Edinbm-gh), and Thoughts among Flowers (published by the Relig- ious Tract Society). Irt 1845 he prc])ared The Pictorial Sunday Jiook, and commenced the work which, in its latest form (3d edition), still constitutes one of the best works of the kind in any language, the Cyclopirdia of /liblical Literatui-e. See Dictionaries, Biulical. Though the work already accomplished (up to 1848}
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would have sufficed for the lifetime of almost any man, Kitto labored on indefatigably, and not only brought out contributions of great value, but originated and edited the Journal of Sacred Literature, a quarterly, which, by its masterly productions, has made English scholarship famous even among the all-knowing Teutons. He con- tinued the editorship of the Journal until 1853. His last and most popular work was the JJailij liible Illus- trations, completed in eight volumes. During its prog- ress his health gave way, and he retired to Cannstadt, near Stuttgard, in Germany, where he died, Nov. 25, 1854. Dr. Kitto's services to the cause of Scripture learning were great in his own sphere. He revived and freshened the study of Eastern manners, and his orig- ination of his C'/dopmdia marks an epoch in the Bibli- cal literature of England. Our own work is not unfre- qucntly dependent upon the labors of this extraordinary character. His life itself, with his physical defect and early privations, was a marvel of self-education and he- roic perseverance. The University of Giessen in ISH honored him with the doctorate of divinity, though he was a layman. An interesting autobiography is con- tained in his Lost Senses. See Kitto, O/clcp. Bibl. Lit. vol. ii, s. V. ; Enylish Cyclop, s. v. ; AUibonc, Diet. Emjl. and A m. A uth. s. v. ; Memoirs of John Kitto, D.D., com- piled chiefly from his letters and journals, by J. E. Ky- land, M.A. ; with a Critical Estimate of Dr. Kitto's Life and Writings, by Prof. Eadie, D.D. (Edinb. and London, 1856, 8vo)"; Eadie, John, Life of Kitto (Edinb. 1857, 8vo) ; L^ond.Athen(Bum,\iibl,5\.me.1~; North lirit. Rev. Feb. 1847 ; Littell, Licimj Age, lii, 445 sq. (J. H.W.)