John Aikin

John Aikin (1747–1822) was an English physician, writer, and essayist linked to the rational Dissenting milieu around Warrington Academy. Trained in medicine at the University of Edinburgh, he practised as a doctor before turning increasingly to literary and educational work. Aikin wrote on a wide range of subjects, including history, criticism, and popular science, and became known for clear, instructive prose. Among his books is *Letters from a Father to His Son*. He also collaborated with his sister, the poet and educator Anna Laetitia Barbauld, on the multi-volume *General Biography*, a substantial reference work of lives and character sketches.