Mencken Revisited: Author, Editor & Newspaperman

Mencken Revisited provides a collection of essays that leads to a deeper understanding of H. L. Mencken, the prominent Baltimore newspaperman, author, and editor. Each of the ten essays sheds new, interesting light on the character of the much-studied Mencken. S. L. Harrison explores Mencken's attitudes toward money through Mencken's private papers, his discovery and encouragement of many writers and especially his finding of the cartoonist Edmund Duffy. The author clarifies Mencken's controversial reputation as a bigot, noting that he was tolerant and an advocate for minority rights. He also discusses Mencken's role in the famous Scopes "Monkey Trial," his fights to preserve First Amendment rights, and his ideas about writing. Harrison concludes with an overview of Mencken's lasting effects, his books, and the books about him.