Black Lamb

A Week in Literary History

June 19th, 2002

American editor and author Elbert Hubbard (the Little Journey books) is born in 1856 in Bloomington, Ind.

Elbert Hubbard, b. June 19, 1856, d. 1915

Mr. Hubbard carved out a nice living for himself as a guide to the great artists, composers, and philosophers of history. In a long series of “little guides,” he provided quirky, sharply written profiles of everyone from Michelangelo to Beethoven and Socrates. Although accused by some of being a literary charlatan, he set a whole generation to reading with his magazines and guides. But his lasting fame will be guaranteed by his own brilliant philsophical statement, the profoundest and most comprehensive ever uttered, which he included in his book A Thousand and One Epigrams: “Life is just one damned thing after another.”

Suggested reading Anything you can find.

Posted by: The Editors
Category: Books and Authors, A Week in Literary History | Link to this Entry