William Douglas, of Blair Cottage, Lenzie - a telegraph cypher composer?

[William Douglas]

William Douglas was a member of the Ex Libris Society to which he contributed his own bookplate and that of others.  There are, apparently seveal book plates for 'William Douglas in the society's collection.

William Douglas, of Blair Cottage, Lenzie, is himself an enigma.  I have been unable to find out much about him.

He famously authored in-depth articles on armorial and historic bookplates. For instance, his well-regarded study on the bookplates of Sir Edward Levy Lawson, Bart., was featured in Volume 7 of the the Ex Libris Society in July 1897.

While Ex Libris groups were formed to study the origins and development of bookplates (ex-libris), Douglas focused heavily on cataloguing the coats of arms, personal emblems, and heritage of esteemed families whose libraries he studied.

I have located a William Douglas who's employment seems to place him in a very narrow professional niche: telegraph communications / commercial code compilation, centred on Glasgow’s mercantile world.  There were, of course, many shipping companies based in Glasgow around that time.  It was probably he who contributed 25,000 English Words, Not Exceeding Ten Letters, Arranged Both in Alphabetical and Terminational Order (1879, London) to David Whitelaw's telegraph cyphers.

If anyone can contribute to William Douglas's biography, please do so in the comments.