12/13/21

12/13/21

An straight-forward, unflattering warts-and-all yet neither deprecating, look at a hard man who rose to the top of his craft; a craft that is sorely missed today. ( )

Teachout is a biographer worthy of Mencken. Avoiding both hagiography and hatchet job, he details Mencken's life, warts and all, and discusses both his strengths and weaknesses as a writer, journalist, and person. In a prose style that is distinctly his own, but shows the likelihood of some influence from his biographical subject, the author writes lucidly and readably. In addition, it is a rare treat to read a nearly 400 page book that has few editorial lapses. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling are meticulous, and with the readable prose, this is one of the easiest to read books I've encountered in some time. For anyone who is willing to take on the challenge of confronting Mencken at his best and his worst, and who doesn't expect great people to be great in every particular, this book is highly recommended. ( )

I haven't read the Fred Hobson biog of Mencken, so I can't compare them.Teachout's book is very readable. This isn't one of those "throw every single fact I know into the book" kinds of biographies. Biographers would do well to follow Teachout's template for conciseness.

I love Mencken. He seems more and more relevant in these crazy political days of 2009 and 10. "Nobody every went broke underestimating the stupidity of the American people." Heh. Or how about this one: "Unquestionably, there is progress. The average American now pays out twice as much in taxes as he formerly got in wages." One more: "The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.

If you asked me, I couldn't tell you why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. I read this some time ago, and that's the impression I have of the book--a solid B+. ( )