Alexander Sutherland Neill (17 October
1883 – 23 September 1973) was a Scottish
educator and author known for his school,
Summerhill, and its philosophy of freedom
from adult coercion and its community selfgovernance. Neill wrote 20 books. His top
seller was the 1960 Summerhill, read widely
in the free school movement in the 1960s
onwards.
Neill’s principal book about his educational
methods, Summerhill: A Radical Approach
to Child Rearing (1960), stimulated debates
about alternatives to conventional schooling.
The book was more influential in the United
States, West Germany, and Japan than in
Great Britain. His other books include The Problem Child (1926), The Problem
Parent (1932), The Problem Family (1949), The Free Child (1953), and an
autobiography, Neill! Neill! Orange Peel! (1972).
Neill was awarded three honorary degrees: a master's and two honorary doctorates.
One doctorate was from the Newcastle University in 1966. He was reportedly very
proud of the awards.