John Bartlett (14 June 1820-3 December 1905), lexicographer, was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and received a public school education. He joined the University Book Store in Cambridge and continued his education by reading widely. Soon "Ask John Bartlett" became the standard answer to customers' questions. Bartlett kept journals in which he jotted down well-known sayings and he drew upon these for his famous Familiar Quotations (New York: H. M. Caldwell, 1855), a book that has gone through numerous editions and still bears Bartlett's name. He also published a phrase book and a concordance to Shakespeare's plays. He died in Cambridge.