In 1947, a young William Manchester--the man who would later become a celebrated biographer, historian, and novelist--was working as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. It was there that he met fellow journalist H.L. Mencken, the influential writer and cofounder of the magazines The American Mercury and The Smart Set. While attending the University of Missouri, Manchester tackled Mencken as the subject of his Masters thesis. When the resulting biography was published on the wider market in 1951, it made a splash--establishing Manchester's reputation as a skilled writer, biographer, and political commentator. This book tells the story of "conservative anarchist" H.L. Mencken's life in compelling detail--a story that's energetic, controversial, and surprisingly intimate. Crafted in vivid prose, William Manchester brings Mencken's world to life. William Manchester was the most popular and highly regarded historian and biographer of his time--and this powerful book supports that reputation. "Manchester's book is written with verve, intellectual sophistication, and a prickly wit worthy of its eminent subject.... [The Life and Riotous Times of H.L. Mencken] performs a considerable service for American intellectual history. It is, besides, a first-class piece of literate entertainment." --The New Yorker
"Written with verve, intellectual sophistication, and a prickly wit worthy of its eminent subject.... A first-class piece of literate entertainment" (
The New Yorker).
Before he went on to become a celebrated biographer and historian, renowned for such works as
A World Lit Only by Fire,
American Caesar, and
The Last Lion, William Manchester worked as a reporter for the
Baltimore Sun in the 1940s-and it was there that he met fellow journalist H.L. Mencken.
This book tells the story of conservative, anarchist H.L. Mencken's life in compelling, intimate detail-and offers a uniquely personal look at the influential cultural critic and satirist who cofounded the magazines the
American Mercury and the
Smart Set and became a legend for his sharp and highly quotable wit.
