George William Curtis was celebrated in his day as a best-selling author, literary journalist, editor, critic, and popular public speaker. A representative of the genteel tradition, he worked diligently for the democratization of culture and learning. Today, scholarly attention focuses not on his contributions to American literature and journalism but on his involvement in politics and reform. As an editorialist for Harper's Weekly and Harper's Monthly and a lyceum circuit lecturer, Curtis brought his message of reform and good citizenship to a vast national audience throughout the second half of the nineteenth century.

George William Curtis was born on 24 February 1824 in Providence, Rhode Island, to Mary Elizabeth Burrill Curtis and George Curtis. The elder George Curtis (1796-1856) had a distinguished and prosperous career in banking, first in Providence, Rhode Island, and later in New York City. Mary Curtis came from a family prominent in Rhode Island politics. She...