William Dalton (1821–1875) was a British author and editor of the Victorian era, best known for his adventure stories written for young readers. Set in exotic, far-flung locales such as China, Japan, and Peru, his books were primarily produced during a highly prolific seven-year window between 1857 and 1864. Alongside his career as a novelist, Dalton also served for a period as the chief editor of the London Daily Telegraph.\n\nDalton is particularly recognized as the first author to novelize the historical account of William Adams, the 17th-century navigator who became the first Englishman to reach Japan. Published in 1861, Dalton's romantic biography, Will Adams, the First Englishman in Japan, relied on older historical sources and fictionalized elements rather than firsthand experience, as Dalton himself never traveled to Japan. Consequently, the work serves as a notable reflection of 19th-century British stereotypes and perceptions of Japan during an era when Western knowledge of the country was still highly limited.
