William Alexander Clouston (1843-96) was a Scottish folklorist from Orkney. In early life he was engaged in commercial pursuits in Glasgow and London but relinquished these to engage in journalism and literature. He edited several Scottish provincial newspapers and wrote for the Glasgow Herald, the Evening Times and other journals. He had a particular interest in oriental fiction and folklore and contributed to Sir Richard Burton's "Supplemental Arabian Nights" providing variants of some of the tales in Vols. I-III. Among other works, he published 'Arabian Poetry for English Readers', 'Flowers from a Persian Garden and Other Papers' and 'The Book of Noodles' . This collection of Eastern stories, which includes copious notes and an appendix, was privately printed in 1889 in an edition of 300 copies.