Tag Archives: A Mencken Chrestomathy

The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “The Artist” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken Again and again, H.L. Mencken comes back to his pet themes, one being that America is a nation of prudes and … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “Schubert” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken Mencken refers to Franz Schubert as “one of the great glories of the human race”. In this essay, he discusses the … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “Beethoven” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken After reading all of the essays that come before, it is a shock (and a pleasure) to come across the section … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “Ring Lardner” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken You know, I haven’t read much Ring Lardner. A piece here and there (some of them are anthologized in the various … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “The Man Within” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken Mencken thought The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was one of the greatest books ever written. And you know when Mencken praises … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “Poe” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken Mencken was a great admirer of Poe (who had died in Baltimore, Mencken’s home town), and references him often in his … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “The Critical Process,” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken The Chrestomathy has so much in it that the cliche “embarrassment of riches” applies. There’s a great cantankerous essay on zoos … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “Chiropractic,” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken Often, when writers get angry, they lose their sense of humor. I suppose that is true for non-writers too. The real … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “Valentino,” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken H.L. Mencken, as can be expected, didn’t have much good to say about this new-fangled business of movie-making. He thought it … Continue reading

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The Books: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, “In Memoriam, W.J.B.,” by H.L. Mencken

Next up on the essays shelf: A Mencken Chrestomathy: His Own Selection of His Choicest Writing, by H.L. Mencken Poor William Jennings Bryan. History has not been kind to him. He backed the wrong philosophical horse too many times. He … Continue reading

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