Nathaniel Parker Willis (20 January 1806-20 January 1867), early known as a journalist, is remembered in American letters as a magazine editor who was a purveyor of belles lettres to a wide popular audience. Born in Portland, Maine, he acquired his fame in both New York and Boston, the city of his death. While a young man, Willis showed promise as a poet, and he was encouraged to publish by his father, the editor of a sectarian journal. After Boston Latin School, Willis went to Andover, where he acquired a deep love of literature. He entered Yale in 1823 and was graduated in 1827.

From the outset of his career as editor of the gift book The Token (1828), Willis was sensitive to readers' tastes. One year later he became editor of the Boston American Monthly Magazine . In this office he cultivated the pose of a dilettante, writing about his exotic tastes and...