Thomas Bulfinch

Thomas Bulfinch studied at Harvard and spent most of his working life as a clerk at a Boston bank. A lifelong bachelor, Bulfinch devoted much of his free time to researching and rewriting classic stories and myths. His notion, he once wrote, was to "teach mythology not as a study but as a relaxation from study." His masterwork, The Age of Fable, was a collection and retelling of Greek and Roman myths. The book was published in 1855 and proved so popular that in time it became known simply as Bulfinch's Mythology. His other books include The Age of Chivalry (1858) and Legends of Charlemagne (1863).

Extra credit: Bulfinch's father Charles Bulfinch was a prominent architect who designed the Massachusetts Statehouse and was one of several architects of the U.S. Capitol building.