Black Lamb

A Week in Literary History

December 30th, 2002

In 1869, Anglo-Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock (The Garden of Folly, 1924) is born in Swanmore, Hampshire.

Stephen Leacock, b. December 30, 1869, d. 1944

Judging from book sales, from 1910 to 1925 Leacock was the most widely read English-speaking author in the world. But humorous writing is the most fragile, the most liable not to age well, and now one has to pick and choose from his vast output. It’s worth the effort, though, because, at his best, he is drop-dead hilarious. Get the anthology called Laugh with Leacock and be ready to howl out loud.

Suggested Reading Humor Literary Lapses, 1910. Nonsense Novels, 1911. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, 1912. Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich, 1914. Further Foolishness, 1916. The Garden of Folly, 1924. Literary Studies Essays and Literary Studies, 1916. Mark Twain, 1932. Charles Dickens: His Life and Work, 1933.

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