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The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken Paperback – Illustrated, November 4, 2003

by Terry Teachout (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 59 ratings
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When H. L. Mencken talked, everyone listened -- like it or not. In the Roaring Twenties, he was the one critic who mattered, the champion of a generation of plain-speaking writers who redefined the American novel, and the ax-swinging scourge of the know-nothing, go-getting middle-class philistines whom he dubbed the "booboisie." Some loved him, others loathed him, but everybody read him. Now Terry Teachout takes on the man Edmund Wilson called "our greatest practicing literary journalist," brilliantly capturing all of Mencken's energy and erudition, passion and paradoxes, in a masterful biography of this iconoclastic figure and the world he shaped.

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  1. Print length
    410 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    November 4, 2003
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 1.01 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    006050529X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0060505295
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Who now reads Mencken? Not nearly as many people as Mencken’s still-astonishing writings deserve. But many more people will discover the delights of Mencken’s work, thanks to Terry Teachout’s judicious but lively assessment of the more-often-lively than judicious journalist and critic.” — George F. Will

“Mencken has finally met a worthy biographer. Teachout is the kind of tour guide a first-rate biography requires.” — Ken Auletta

“(Mencken’s) life is worth recounting and is here expertly and fairly summarized ... An important book.” — Paul Johnson, author of Modern Times

“Many more people will discover the delights of Mencken’s work, thanks to Terry Teachout’s judicious but lively assessment.” — George F. Will, syndicated columnist

“Teachout has brought Mencken to life, in all his rich comic irascibility. The Skeptic is irresistible.” — Sam Tanenhaus, author of Whittaker Chambers

“A fascinating biography that has much of the neat phrasing and sly wit that the rancorous writer displayed himself.” — Publishers Weekly

“A balanced, judicious assessment, flecked with sharply critical insights.” — Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Terry Teachout writes about literature and the arts for the New York Times, Time, National Review, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Commentary. His books include A Second Mencken Chrestomaby, a manuscript he rediscovered among Mencken's private papers. He lives in New York City.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Illustrated edition (November 4, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 410 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 006050529X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060505295
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.01 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 59 ratings

About the author

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Terry Teachout

Terry Teachout

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I'm the drama critic of the Wall Street Journal, the critic-at-large of Commentary, and the author of "Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington," which will be published in October of 2013. I also blog about the arts at www.terryteachout.com. In addition to the books on this page, I've written a play, "Satchmo at the Waldorf," which was produced in 2012 by Shakespeare & Company of Lenox, Mass., Long Wharf Theatre of New Haven, Conn., and Philadelphia's Wilma Theater, and the libretti for two operas by Paul Moravec, "The Letter" and "Danse Russe." "Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong," which came out in 2009, was my first book about music, but I've been listening to jazz ever since my mother told me to come see Satchmo singing "Hello, Dolly!" on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964, and I was a professional bassist before becoming a full-time writer. Among other things, I've written the liner notes for such albums as Diana Krall's "All for You," Maria Schneider's "Coming About," Karrin Allyson's "Daydream," Marian McPartland's "Just Friends," Luciana Souza's "Neruda," and Roger Kellaway's "Live at the Jazz Standard."

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
59 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

David Ebbert
5.0 out of 5 stars Only forty pages into this book, I know it will time well spent seated on my reading chair.
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2021
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The book arrived promptly and is in excellent condition, very pleased.
2 people found this helpful
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Steven
4.0 out of 5 stars Mencken as an observer of America and Mencken's life described.
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
Putting aside the conservative perspectives of the author, who wrote for Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal, this biography of Mencken is a detailed description of the life of H.L.M.
I have admired Mencken for many years, agreeing with his contempt for American religious nuts and the ignorance of the mass of Americans, "Boobus Americanus" in Mencken's words.
But after reading the book I came to admire Mencken less. He was an example of cynicism gone too far. Too much negativism and nihilism in his philosophy of living, an example of anything worthy can be carried too far.
4 people found this helpful
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Morton I. Blankman
5.0 out of 5 stars Terry Teachout has created this magnificent piece of work on ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015
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Terry Teachout has created this magnificent piece of work on H.L.Mencken who was a magnificent piece of work himself. Thanks Terry .
3 people found this helpful
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J. J. O'connor
3.0 out of 5 stars Well Done and Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2023
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Teachout is a wonderful and incisive writer. One can tell there is considerable admiration for Mecken but also a strong sense of criticism for a talented but flawed person. It seems likely that a modern day Mecken could exist but unlikely he would be much more than a quirky talk show guest late at night. Hardly someone who would make it mainstream the way Mencken did in his own time. And maybe that's the best takeaway. While I find most of his views off-putting, I feel its a shame that we have so little room for those with strong non-mainstream views these days. Mencken has a perspective worth hearing even if one I would not endorse.

Well researched and insightful. Teachout is a master.
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Paul Augustson
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
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Good
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David Robinette
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2015
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Probably the definitive Mencken biography. Excellent writing.
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Roland Droitsch
4.0 out of 5 stars THE AUTHOR DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB IN BRINGING MENCKEN INTO FOCUS
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2014
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THIS IS AN INTERESTING BOOK TO READ ABOUT A WELL-KNOWN INDIVIDUAL. THE AUTHOR DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB IN BRINGING MENCKEN INTO FOCUS. MENCKEN WAS A BRILLIANT WRITER BUT HAD A VERY ABSTRACT CHARACTER. HOWEVER, BRINGING THIS AUTHOR INTO FOCUS WAS BOTH INTERESTING AND COMPLEX, SHOWING THAT MENCHEN WAS A DIFFICULT PERSON TO UNDERSTAND AND WRITE ABOUT.
One person found this helpful
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J. S. Share
5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of his time he was
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2023
Excellent biography of the curmudgeon newspaper columnist and pundit who entertained and pissed off readers during his heyday of the 20s and 30s. So many of us have heard of mencken but who was he? The author does his best to tell us.
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Top reviews from other countries

Robert Goldin
5.0 out of 5 stars Considered best biography of a very controversial 20th Century literary figure.
Reviewed in Canada on March 27, 2024
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Mencken's reputation as a literary giant is marred by his personal vendettas. Terry Teachout has left no doubt about his flawed character. Although born and raised in America his views are highly skewed and prejudiced, in part by a highly Germanic education.
These unfortunate truths have no doubt reduced his reputation and influence on American literature and criticism. This biography is best suited to those whose interests are highly academic. His humorous wit and cynicism is overwhelmed by his personal biases.
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars No headline
Reviewed in Australia on January 23, 2021
Verified Purchase
whilst this is a well written and researched biography of Mencken I would have liked it to contain some of his columns about various subjects.
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