James Fenimore Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)

American Novelist

James Fenimore Cooper is regarded as America’s first major novelist. Famous with his classic book, The Last of the Mohicans, he is best known for his sea adventure stories and the American frontier type of novels.

Early Life of James F. Cooper

James Fenimore Cooper was born on September 15, 1789 in New Jersey, the son of a wealthy businessman and politician, grew up in Cooperstown, New York, a frontier town his father had founded. He was expelled from Yale University and went to sea before becoming a gentleman farmer.

Read more… James Fenimore Cooper Brief  Biography

O. Henry

O. Henry (1862-1910)

American short-Story Writer

American writer O. Henry was regarded to have “humanized the short story.” Famous for his surprise endings, the public loved his works. One of his best known collections is The Four Million that includes “The Gift of the Magi.”

In recognition of his talent an award was set up in 1918 in his name. The O. Henry Award is given each year to the author of the best story printed in an American magazine.

Brief Biography of O. Henry

William Sidney Porter was the real name of American writer O. Henry. He was born on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Poorly educated and to make ends meet, he drifted from various odd jobs. In 1882, at the age of 20, he moved to Austin, Texas.

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Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine (1737-1809)

English-born American Writer

Thomas Paine was a political philosopher who inspired the revolutions both in the U.S. and France. In his The Rights of Man, he adhered to the idea that the democratic republic is the only morally acceptable constitution. His main beliefs included the power of reason where there is freedom to debate, tolerance, equality of rights and the dignity of man.

Read more —  Thomas Paine and His Writings

 

Robert Frost

Robert Frost (1874-1963)

American Poet

Considered as America’s Poet Laureate, American writer Robert Frost is one of the best of rural New England’s poets. He was best known for his collection New Hampshire and A Witness Tree, both Pulitzer Prize winners.

Early Life of Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874 in San Francisco, California. Following the death of his father, his family moved from San Francisco to Massachusetts when he was 11-years-old. He completed his education in New England, attending both Dartmouth College and Harvard University but without graduating.

Read more... Robert Frost Life and Works

Works by Robert Frost:

• A Boy’s Will, 1913
• North of Boston, 1914
• Mountain Interval, 1916
• New Hampshire, 1923
• West-Running Brook, 1928
• Collected Poems, 1930
• A Further Range, 1936
• A Witness Tree, 1942
• A Masque of Mercy, 1947
• Steeple Bush, 1947
• In the Clearing, 1962

Jack London

Jack London (1876-1916)

American Novelist and Short-Story Writer

Jack London, American novelist, short-story writer and realist, portrays in his novels the heroic struggle of men and animals against a hostile environment. He is best known for his books Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf and White Fang.

Life of Jack London in a Nutshell

Jack London (January 12, 1876-November 22, 1916) was born in San Francisco, London, but was raised in Oakland, California.

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Books by Jack London

• The Son of the Wolf, 1900
• Cruise of the Dazzler, 1902
• Call of the Wild, 1903
• The People of the Abyss, 1903
• The Sea Wolf, 1904
• Tales of the Fish Patrol, 1905
• White Fang, 1906
• The Road, 1907
• Iron Heel, 1908
• Martin Eden, 1909
• Burning Daylight, 1910

Edna Ferber

Edna Ferber (1885-1968)

American Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright

Ferber is the author of Show Boat, the title of her 1926 blockbuster classic novel. The book was turned into a popular musical that brought her much money she called “oil well.” She won the Pulitzer Prize for So Big, a year earlier in 1925.

Edna Ferber Life in a Nutshell

Edna Ferber was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 15, 1885, into a Jewish family. She got a job on a local newspaper when she finished secondary school.

Read more — Edna Ferber Biography

Books by Edna Ferber

• Dawn O’Hara, 1911
• Roast Beef, Medium, 1913
• Emma McChesney and Co., 1915
• Fanny Herself, 1917
• So Big, 1924
• Show Boat, 1926
• Cimarron, 1930
• A Peculiar Treasure, 1939
• Saratoga Trunk, 1941
• Giant, 1952
• Ice Palace, 1958

Ralph Ellison

Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914-1994)

American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist

Ralph Ellison is best known for his novel, Invisible Man, claimed to be where his reputation lies as a writer. This book provides a study of racism and its effect on a person’s identity. It became a classic of modern American literature.

Life of Ralph Ellison

Ralph Waldo Ellison was born on March 1, 1914, in Oklahoma City. He won a state scholarship and was educated at Tuskegee University.

Read more… Ralph Ellsion Biography

Books by Ralph Ellison

• Invisible Man, 1952
• Noble Savage I, 1960
• Shadow and Act, 1964
• Going to the Territory, 1986

Mark Twain

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

American Children’s Writer

Children’s writer and humorist Mark Twain is a fixture in American literature. He was a humorous writer who created two famous characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He is also known for his travel book The Innocents Abroad.

Through his two most popular and loved novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain captured his boyhood escapades along the Mississippi River.

Read more — Mark Twain Biography

Children’s writer and humorist Mark Twain is a fixture in American literature. He was a humorous writer who created two famous characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He is also known for his travel book The Innocents Abroad.

Through his two most popular and loved novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain captured his boyhood escapades along the Mississippi River.

Mark Twain Books

• The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches, 1867
• The Innocents Abroad, 1869
• Roughing It, 1872
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, 1884
• Pudd’nhead Wilson: A Tale, 1894 (or A Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson)