William Dean Howells - The Rise of Silas Lapham, My Mark Twain, &c.

[Bick]

Anyone read any William Dean Howells? He was the 'father' of American realist literature by all accounts, notable for The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) and was nicknamed the "Dean of American Letters". I came across his name in a Somerset Maugham short story, and I wonder if he's one of those great 'lost' authors no-one now reads, but perhaps should? I looked him up on a book sellers website and found very few current publications of note. Anyone read him and have any thoughts?

He has volumes in the Library of America, such as the volume below. He was good mates with Mark Twain by all accounts, and wrote a biography on Twain.
How come I've barely heard of him? Does that reflect a glaring ignorance on my part, or has his name sunk in the collective consciousness?

 

[BAYLOR]

Ive heard of him , but have never read him.

 

[hitmouse]

Never heard of him, and I am curious.

There is a reasonable Wkipedia page, and a slightly decayed and uninspiring William Howells Society website.

It sounds as though he was well-connected to the contemporary US literary establishment, and worthy but possibly not a lot of fun as a novelist, unlike his chum Mark Twain.

Interested to know if he is any good.

 

[THX1138]

I never read or heard of him. I remember from my youth way back that someone wrote a biography of Mark Twain, didn't know or forgot it was W,D Howells. An author for me to investigate.

 

[Bick]

I ordered an old copy of The Rise of Silas Lapham from an online trader. I’ll report back in due course!

If anyone here has read him, I thought Extollager might be a contender…

 

[BAYLOR]

I ordered an old copy of The Rise of Silas Lapham from an online trader. I’ll report back in due course!

I found an old paperback Signet classic of this book in a used bookstore

 

[Bick]

I found an old paperback Signet classic of this book in a used bookstore

Since I brought him up, or years ago?

 

[BAYLOR]

Since I brought him up, or years ago?

I picked it up two days ago in a used bookshop for a dollar $1. 59.