Frank Gelett Burgess was editor of and major contributor to the San Francisco based little magazine the Lark. Predicated upon the belief that art should reflect the gladness of youthful revolt, the Lark was a zany product of late nineteenth-century bohemianism. The magazine sought to eclipse contemporary literary realism by affirming imaginative absurdity and boldly supporting the cause of typographical freedom. Burgess brought together nonsense rhymes and cartoons to create "The Purple Cow" and the goops--boneless, mischievous, ill-mannered creatures with oval heads. Burgess was convinced that the Lark should die young and in its full bloom; consequently, he discontinued publication after two successful years. Nonetheless, he was typed by his association with the Lark and with the avant-garde movement. He went on to seek eminence as a writer of serious fiction and drama, and he published many books over his long career. But his mark on American humor...