Historians of popular culture have cause to take George Ade into account in two areas: his newspaper column work, which he periodically gathered into bound anthologies that were as well received around the country as they had been initially in Chicago, and his relatively brief though prolific period as a playwright and librettist. He enjoyed enormous popularity in both fields.

Ade is at once a delight and a disappointment. His imaginative use of language, humor, and characterization and his amusing approach to everyday life can still bring a smile and a chuckle. However, much of his work is dated, tied as it is to the vernacular of the time. His ear was unerring and he missed nothing. To say that Ade lacked substance, as some have, is to say that much of the life of the average man is insubstantial. Ade heard music and saw fun in commonplace...