ABSTRACT
John Churton Collins (1848-1908) was educated at King Edward’s School, Birmingham and Balliol College, Oxford. His academic record at Oxford was undistinguished, with a Third in Classical Moderations in 1870 and a Second in the School of Law and History in 1872. However, Collins read widely in English literature while at Balliol, and when he left Oxford he earned his living mainly through his knowledge of English literature. He wrote literary articles and reviews, edited literary texts, and coached candidates for Civil Service examinations in English literature. In 1880 he began a career in University Extension teaching, which was for many years his professional mainstay. University Extension, which was the precursor of modern university extra-mural departments, began in Cambridge, but was rapidly taken up by Oxford and London. Collins worked for both London and Oxford, remaining in the employ of London for a continuous period of twenty-seven years.
