One of the most influential figures of his time, William Jennings Bryan has been dubbed the "Boy Orator of the Platte," the "Great Commoner," and the standard bearer of "evangelical populism." While his most enduring literary legacy may prove to be the body of speeches he delivered across the nation in support of his reformist and fundamentalist political philosophy, Bryan was a prolific writer of full-length nonfiction texts and essays. Significantly, his career in letters spans a period that is celebrated for its contributions to the genres of autobiography and journalistic writing, his style bearing the influences of both muckraking and heroic traditions in literature. A true believer in the economic importance and moral virtue of the rural United States, Bryan ran for the U.S. presidency, without winning the office, in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Bryan's defense of creationism in the highly publicized trial of Tennessee schoolteacher John T. Scopes...