Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
A Book of Prefaces (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)

A Book of Prefaces (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)

Mencken, H. L.
Cain, William E.

Paperback

Letters & EssaysLiterary Criticism

Publisher Price: $15.95

ISBN13: 9798902670186
Publisher: Warbler Classics
Published: Mar 6 2026
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.58
Height: 0.51 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English

H. L. Mencken's A Book of Prefaces (1917) is a landmark collection of four essays on American culture and literature. In chapters on Theodore Dreiser, Joseph Conrad, and James Huneker, Mencken uses incisive analysis and forceful polemic to advocate for artistic independence and cosmopolitan standards. In a fourth chapter, Puritanism as a Literary Force, Mencken denounces the stifling influence of Puritan values on William Dean Howells, Henry James, and Mark Twain, arguing that religious orthodoxy and rigid social convention have suppressed aesthetic freedom and honest expression. A Book of Prefaces provoked fierce backlash from defenders of American tradition even as it inspired a new generation and established Mencken as a bold, influential voice in literary debate. This Warbler Classics edition includes an introduction, annotations, a biographical timeline, and suggestions for further reading by William E. Cain.

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Literary Criticism

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