Possibly the most influential figure in the history of American letters, William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was, among other things, a leading novelist in the rea

Reminiscences of Howells' friendship with Mark Twain, followed by criticism of about a dozen of his major works (chiefly book reviews previously published in va

No one can complain that in this story Mr. Howells has taken his type from the commonplace. It is a study of life in New York, and the author has brought togeth