In February 1909 and with his approaching retirement as President of Harvard University, Eliot accepted the proposal of P.F. Collier & Son. The proposal allowed Eliot to engage an assistant. He chose William A. Neilson, Professor of English at Harvard University. Works such as the English Bible were excluded because Eliot and Neilson felt that most every household would already possess at least one copy. The contributions of living authors (other than scientific contributions) were excluded because Eliot and Neilson felt the "verdict of the educated world" was not yet finalized. Also, various works of modern fiction were felt to be readily accessible and thus excluded. Lastly, English and American literature as well as documents related to American social and political ideas were more likely to be selected because the Harvard Classics were intended primarily for American readers.