When Douglas Alexander Kidd published his translation and commentary of Phaenomena in 1997, a reviewer noted that to create such an authoritative text would have required immensely painstaking scholarship and devotion. It is that same dedication to scholarship we have to thank for the creation of the Kidd Collection of classical texts.
Born in Scotland, Kidd developed an early fascination with the classics. He took his first degree at Aberdeen University, and then won a scholarship to St John’s College at Cambridge, where he graduated with a double first in Classics in 1936. Kidd married fellow Aberdeen graduate Margaret Barr in 1942. They had two daughters, Alison and Aileen, who donated their father’s rare books to the Logie Collection.
During World War II, Kidd served in the Royal Navy on the corvettes escorting convoys through the North Sea and on cruisers, namely the Bermuda, in the Mediterranean. On board, Douglas was known by the nickname ‘Prof’ and proved a popular accompanist at sing-a-longs on his harmonium.
