The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist.

Archibald MacLeish is the author of Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--The American Experience. His work focuses on American literature and themes.

Italian American anarchist executed by Massachusetts

Booth Tarkington was a keen observer of American life, and his collection A Subtreasury of American Humor showcases his sharp wit. This selection offers a delightful glimpse into the funny side of the nation's stories and characters.

Clarence Day was a writer known for his sharp wit and keen observations. His collection, A Subtreasury of American Humor, showcases his talent for finding the funny in everyday life. He's a great choice if you enjoy classic American humor.

poet, winner of Pulitzer Prize in 1930 and National Book Award in 1954

Runyon was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from the Brooklyn or Midtown demi-monde. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicted. He spun humorous tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names...

Donald Ogden Stewart was a master of American humor, as proven by his collection, A Subtreasury of American Humor. He had a knack for making readers laugh with his witty observations.

> "I like to have a martini, > Two at the very most. > After three I'm under the table, > after four I'm under my host." > — Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker was an American writer and poet, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles.. From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as [The New Yorker][1] and as a founding member of the [Algonquin Round Table][2]. Following the breakup of th...

Elwyn Brooks "E. B." White was an American writer. A long-time contributor to "The New Yorker" magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The Elements of Style, popularly known by its authors' names, as "Strunk & White."

Edmund Wilson was a distinguished critic and editor. He's known for his work on The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II, a collection that showcases significant American literature.

Edna St. Vincent Millay was a celebrated American poet and playwright. Her work, often found in collections like Prentice Hall Literature, is known for its lyrical beauty and exploration of themes like love and freedom.

Edward Rowland Sill was a writer whose work is featured in The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. He contributed to the landscape of American literature with his thoughtful prose.

Edwin Arlington Robinson is the author behind Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--The American Experience. This collection explores classic American literature.

Edwin Markham is featured in The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. This collection highlights his contributions to American literature.

Edward Estlin Cummings popularly known as E. E. Cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry, as well as one of the most popular. --Wikipedia.org

Elinor Wylie is the author behind Prentice Hall Literature -- Platinum, a comprehensive collection for literature students. Her work focuses on making classic and contemporary texts accessible for educational purposes.

An American poet and short-story writer, Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956, the National Book Award winner in 1970, and the recipient of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1976 (Wikipedia).

Emily Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, e...

Ernest Miller Hemingway (21 July 1899 – 2 July 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist whose spare, understated prose reshaped twentieth-century fiction. Born in Oak Park, Illinois, he worked briefly as a reporter before serving as an American Red Cross ambulance driver on the Italian front in the First World War, where he was seriously wounded by mortar fire in July 1918 and decorated for helping other wounded men to safety. He settled in Paris in the early 1920s as a...

Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American author. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States in novels such as Tobacco Road and God's Little Acre won him critical acclaim. Caldwell wrote 25 novels, 150 short stories, twelve nonfiction collections, two autobiographies, and two books for young readers. He also edited the influential American Folkways series, a 28-volume series of books about different regions of the United States. - Wikipedia

Eudora Welty's work is featured in Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--The American Experience, offering readers a look into classic American literature. She's a writer whose selections are a great addition to any literary exploration.

Eugene O'Neill was an American playwright, and Nobel laureate in Literature. His plays are among the first to introduce into American drama the techniques of realism, associated with Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, and Swedish playwright August Strindberg. His plays were among the first to include speeches in American vernacular and involve characters on the fringes of society, engaging in depraved behavior, where they struggle to maintain their hopes and as...

Ezra Weston Loomis Pound was an American expatriate poet, critic and intellectual who was a major figure of the Modernist movement in the first half of the 20th century. He is generally considered the poet most responsible for defining and promoting a modernist aesthetic in poetry.[1] The critic Hugh Kenner said of Pound upon meeting him: "I suddenly knew that I was in the presence of the center of modernism."[2] Source and more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Pound

Finlay Peter Dunne is the editor behind The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. He's a keen observer of American literature, bringing together significant voices and works.

Hart Crane's work, particularly "The Poetry of the Negro, 1746-1970," offers a deep dive into a significant literary tradition. He's a poet whose collections explore rich cultural and historical themes.

Henry Adams is the editor behind The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. He's a keen observer of American literature.

Henry James, was an American writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_James

H. L. Mencken was a sharp-witted journalist and critic whose work often poked fun at American society. He's the editor of A Subtreasury of American Humor, a collection that showcases his keen eye for the funny side of life.

Irwin Shaw was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: The Young Lions (1948), about the fate of three soldiers during World War II, which was made into a film of the same name starring Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, and Rich Man, Poor Man (1970), about the fate of two brothers and a sister in the post-World War II decades, which in 1976 was made into a popular m...

John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush...

The author of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and the creator of numerous New Yorker magazine cover cartoons, was born in Columbus, Ohio on December, 8, 1894. One of the foremost American humorists of the 20th century, his inimitable wit and pithy prose spanned a breadth of genres, including short stories, modern commentary, fiction, children's fantasy and letters. Thurber's father, Charles, was a civil clerk, and his mother, Mame, was an eccentric woman who would influence many of her son's...

James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 – June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was the first African American to be chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in that position from 1920 to 1930. Johnson established his re...

James Whitcomb Riley is the author behind Prentice Hall Literature--Bronze, a collection that showcases his skill in bringing classic literature to life. His work often explores themes of American life and culture.

John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set on the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy, Massachusetts, where he was born; and Italy, especially Rome. His short stories included The Enormous Radio, Goodbye, My Brother, The Five-Forty-Eight, The Country Husband, and...

John Crowe Ransom was a significant voice in American letters. He's known for his contributions to poetry and criticism, and notably edited The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II.

John Roderigo Dos Passos (January 14, 1896 – September 28, 1970) was an American novelist, most notable for his U.S.A. trilogy. In 1920, his first novel, One Man's Initiation: 1917, was published, and in 1925, his novel Manhattan Transfer became a commercial success. His U.S.A. trilogy, which consists of the novels The 42nd Parallel (1930), 1919 (1932), and The Big Money (1936), was ranked by the Modern Library in 1998 as 23rd of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th cen...

John Hall Wheelock contributed to the impressive collection The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. He's a writer whose work is featured in significant literary compilations.

John Hay is the editor behind The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. He has a keen eye for American literature, bringing together significant voices in the genre.

John Steinbeck was an American writer. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and the novella Of Mice and Men (1937). He wrote a total of 27 books, including 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and five collections of short stories. In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature ([Source][1]). [1]:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck

Karl Jay Shapiro is the author behind Prentice Hall Literature. He's a writer with a focus on educational texts, making literature accessible for students.

"Katherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim. She is known for her penetrating insight; her work deals with dark themes such as betrayal, death and the origin of human evil." - Wikipedia

Lafcadio Hearn was a writer who explored the darker side of human experience. His collection, "Bodies of the Dead and Other Great American Ghost Stories," showcases his talent for chilling tales. He's a go-to for anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.

Leo Calvin Rosten was a writer whose work explored American literature. He is known for his contribution to The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II.

Leonie Adams is the editor behind The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. Her work focuses on American literature.

Louise Bogan is the author of the collection Short Stories from the New Yorker. Her work often explores the nuances of everyday life through the short story format.

American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor, Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Frequently published with his wife, Bryna Ivens Untermeyer

Marianne Moore is the author of Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--The American Experience. Her work focuses on literature and educational materials.

Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was a prolific American author and humorist. Twain is best known for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been called "the Great American Novel", and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He is extensively quoted. Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

Muriel Rukeyser was a poet and activist whose work often explored themes of social justice and the human experience. Her collection, The Poetry of the Negro, 1746-1970, is a significant contribution to American literature.

Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared by The New York Times "the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry." Wikipedia

O. Henry's short stories are well known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings. ([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Henry

Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works -- short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse -- exemplify the American imagination at its most creative. Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and most beloved books, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, are masterworks that readers carry wi...

Wilbur was Poet Laureate of the United States and won the Pulitzer Prize twice.

Ring Lardner was a sharp-witted American humorist whose work is collected in A Subtreasury of American Humor. He's known for his satirical take on everyday life and the foibles of human nature.

Robert Benchley was a master of wit and observation, best known for his humorous essays and short stories. His collection, Great Short Stories of the World, showcases his talent for finding the funny in everyday life. He's a writer who always delivers a good laugh.

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech, Frost frequently wrote about settings from rural life in New England in the early 20th century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes.

Robert Lowell was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1946.[1] ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lowell

Robinson Jeffers contributed to The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II, showcasing his interest in American literature. His work often explored themes of nature and the human condition.

Sarah Orne Jewett's work is featured in Prentice Hall Literature -- Platinum. She's a writer whose stories often explore life in rural New England.

Sara Teasdale is the author behind Prentice Hall Literature -- Platinum. Her work in literature education helps readers explore a wide range of texts.

Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer, known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Source: [Shirley Jackson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Jackson) on Wikipedia.

Sidney Lanier was a writer whose work is featured in The Britannica Library of Great American Writing - Volume II. He contributed to the landscape of American literature.

American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright

Sidney Joseph Perelman was born in Brooklyn, NY, the son of a dry goods merchant. In childhood he moved with his family to Providence, Rhode Island. Perelman, who wanted to be a cartoonist, practiced drawing on cardboard from his father's store. He was a premedical student at Brown University from 1921-1925, where he began publishing cartoons to the campus humor magazine. After graduating from University, he contributed cartoons and essays to the weekly humor magazine Judge. In 1930 he took a jo...

Stanley Kunitz is a poet whose work you'll find in Prentice Hall Literature. He's known for his thoughtful and accessible verse.

A prolific American author (Wikipedia; Wikisource).

Stephen Vincent Benét (July 22, 1898 – March 13, 1943) was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body, published in 1928, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and for the short stories "The Devil and Daniel Webster", published in 1936, and "By the Waters of Babylon", published in 1937. In 2009, Library of America selected his story "The King of the Cats", published in 1929, for inclus...

Theodore Dreiser was a major American novelist of the early 20th century. He's best known for his powerful social realism, particularly in his novel An American Tragedy. Dreiser's work often explored the struggles of ordinary people against societal forces.

Theodore Roethke was a celebrated poet whose work often explored the natural world and the human psyche. His collection "Prentice Hall Literature" is a well-regarded resource for readers and students alike.

Thomas Wolfe is the author of Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--The American Experience. This work explores classic American literature.

Thomas Stearns Eliot was an American poet, playwright, and literary critic, arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century.[3] His first notable publication, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, begun in February 1910 and published in Chicago in June 1915, is regarded as a masterpiece of the modernist movement.[4] It was followed by some of the best-known poems in the English language, including Gerontion (1920), The Waste Land (1922), The Hollow Men (1925), Ash Wednesday...

Vachel Lindsay was a poet known for his unique style and his exploration of American culture. His collection, The Poetry of the Negro, 1746-1970, is a significant work that highlights a vital part of literary history.

American critic, biographer, and literary historian

Wallace Stevens was an American Modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and spent most of his life working as a lawyer for an insurance company in Connecticut. ([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_Stevens

Willa Siebert Cather was an American author who grew up in Nebraska. She is best known for her depictions of frontier life on the Great Plains in novels such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. Source and more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willa_Cather

William Allen White (February 10, 1868 – January 29, 1944) was an American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became a spokesman for middle America. -Wikipedia Not to be confused with the psychiatrist William Alanson White.

William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine. Williams "worked harder at being a writer than he did at being a physician," wrote biographer Linda Wagner-Martin, but during his long lifetime, Williams excelled at both. ([Source][1].) [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Carlos_Williams

William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize-winning American author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter. ([Source][1].) [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Faulkner

William Saroyan (August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film adaptation of his novel The Human Comedy. An Armenian American, Saroyan wrote extensively about the Armenian immigrant life in California. Many of his stories and plays are set in his native Fresno. Some of his best-known works are The Time of Your Life, My Name...

Wolcott Gibbs was a sharp wit whose work captured the spirit of American humor. You might know him from A Subtreasury of American Humor, a collection that showcases his keen eye for the absurd and the everyday. He was a master of the short, funny piece.