H. L. Mencken

Mencken's strong authorial voice comes through on every page of this volume, and thus he must be considered as a "character" of sorts in his own articles. His tone is combative, his perspective inherently elitist, and his attitude is entirely unapologetic. He is a self-appointed expert, especially on matters of art and language. He is never at a loss for words, or in need of a caustic quip. His biases are obvious and overtly stated. Mencken is a skeptic, dismissing such things as religion and the democratic system as "buncombe" and "poppycock." Anything that may not be settled by hard scientific fact, such as Christianity, chiropractic medicine, intelligent design, or the charge to war in World War I or II, is viewed with disdain and derision by the secular journalist. Mencken is a merry iconoclast, questioning the pretty picture contemporary historians paint about Abraham Lincoln, deriding...