John Thompson Platts (1830-1904) was a lexicographer whose 'A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi and English' (1884) is considered a landmark in the history of Urdu lexicography. This article, aside from tracing Platts' biographical details and his other works, evaluates the contents of the dictionary and traces the influence on Platts of his predecessors, especially John Shakespeare. It also mentions the influence that Platts and John Shakespeare exerted on F. Steingass.