William Black was a novelist born in Glasgow, Scotland. During his lifetime, Black's works were extremely popular and compared favorably to those of Anthony Trollope. However, his renown and popularity did not last long into the twentieth century. William was born to James Black and his second wife, Caroline Conning. He was educated as a landscape painter, which affected his literary career. As a writer, he was recognized for his rich, atmospheric depictions of landscapes and seascapes in works like White Wings: A Yachting Romance (1880). He moved to London at the age of 23, after gaining some journalism experience in Glasgow. He began working for the Morning Star, then the Daily News, where he rose to the position of assistant editor. He wrote a weekly serial for The Graphic. During the Austria-Prussian War, he worked as a war correspondent. Black's debut novel, James Merle, was published in 1864 and had little popularity. Black then denied it and allegedly purchased copies to destroy them.