One of America’s preeminent critics in the 20s, 30s and 40s, H.L. Mencken was known for his no-holds-barred attacks on Puritanism, the “booboisie,” (a term he created and intellectual laziness and corruption. People either loved him or hated him, but everybody listened. He was first and foremost a journalist and he helped discover some of the greatest writers of the 20th century as founder and editor of the influential American Mercury magazine, including Theodore Dreiser, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis. He heralded Huckleberry Finn as the greatest American novel and made the notorious Scopes trial one of the biggest landmarks in American law history. His bestselling books covered topics as varied as the imperfections of women, the American language (as opposed to the Queen’s English) and the failures of democracy. Most of all, he loved to write about Puritanism overtaking America.

Terry Teachout’s biography is not all praise, however, and Mencken had plenty of shortcomings. Mencken lived in the same house in Baltimore for all but five years of his life, and Teachout blames this and his lack of formal education for Mencken’s narrow vision and the fact that his tastes and politics never seemed to change. Teachout also addresses the complex issues surrounding Mencken’s racism and anti-Semitism, which lost him both credibility and readership. His pro-German views also were detrimental during the periods before and during the two world wars. Mencken wrote against lynchings and the continuing segregation of Baltimore’s sports clubs, and counted numerous Jews and African-Americans as his friends. In fact, one of his longest friendships was with Alfred Knopf, one of America’s most influential publishers. But his views towards minorities were negative and conflicting. For example, he often proclaimed his belief in every individual’s freedom, but considered non-Caucasians inferior, dismissed Hitler as a crank, and seemed to think that the Jews had brought the holocaust upon themselves.

I originally picked up this book both because I enjoy Terry Teachout’s weblog and wanted to read more of his work, and because I wanted to learn more bout Mencken. I was well-rewarded: even during the offensive, obscure, or boring parts of Menken’s life, Teachout’s style held my interest and kept the content relevant. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has wondered about the considerable influence of one of the angriest writers of the last century, as well as to those interested in the history of journalism, literature, and ideas.