Montagu C. Butler - Writing and Translation

Writing and Translation

Butler served as editor of La Brita Esperantisto ("The British Esperantist") in 1931 and 1932; during his editorship the journal became known as one of the most famous Esperanto periodicals of the era. After this period he became one of 57 principal collaborators on the 1933 Esperanto Encyclopædia.

Amongst other works, he translated Caroline Emelia Stephen's Quaker Strongholds. Butler is the editor of two respected Esperanto-language anthologies, Kantaro Esperanta (a songbook with 358 songs) and Himnaro Esperanta (a hymnal with 212 hymns) and even adapted Pitman Shorthand to Esperanto, a task which he regarded as his "most important contribution to the movement.". He also compiled an English translation of the Zamenhof Proverbaro, a collection of L. L. Zamenhof's translated and original proverbs, published as (Proverbs in Esperanto and English), (1960).

His book Step by Step in Esperanto has for decades remained the most frequently used textbook for English speakers learning Esperanto; a ninth reprint edition, published by Esperanto-USA, appeared in 1991. Similarly successful was his book Esperanto for Beginners (last edition 1996). His First Lessons to young Children (1930) is based on his experiences teaching Esperanto to his own children, who were among the first native speakers of Esperanto. Butler had originally published some observations on English and Esperanto language acquisition among three- to four-year-old bilingually educated English children as early as 1921.