H. L. Mencken

This book is a volume in the Penn Press Anniversary Collection. To mark its 125th anniversary in 2015, the University of Pennsylvania Press rereleased more than 1,100 titles from Penn Press's distinguished backlist from 1899-1999 that had fallen out of print. Spanning an entire century, the Anniversary Collection offers peer-reviewed scholarship in a wide range of subject areas.

Edited and annotated by H. L. M., this is a selection from his out-of-print writings. They come mostly from books--the six installments of the Prejudices series, A Book of Burlesques, In Defense of Women, Notes on Democracy, Making a President, A Book of Calumny, Treatise on Right and Wrong--but there are also magazine and newspaper pieces that never got between covers (from the American Mercury, the Smart Set, and the Baltimore Evening Sun) and some notes that were never previously published at all. Readers will find edification and amusement in his estimates of a variety of Americans--Woodrow Wilson, Aimee Semple McPherson, Roosevelt I and Roosevelt II, James Gibbons Huneker, Rudolph Valentino, Calvin Coolidge, Ring Lardner, Theodore Dreiser, and Walt Whitman. Those musically inclined will enjoy his pieces on Beethoven, Schubert, and Wagner, and there is material for a hundred controversies in his selections on Joseph Conrad, Thorstein Veblen, Nietzsche, and Madame Blavatsky.

In a world where democracy is both celebrated and scrutinised, this incisive work cuts through the noise with a sharp wit and unyielding critique. As relevant today as it was in the early 20th century, this collection of political commentary essays offers a profound examination of democratic principles, challenging readers to rethink the very foundations of governance. Once out of print for decades, this seminal piece of American political philosophy has been lovingly restored by Alpha Editions for today's and future generations. Diving deep into the intricacies of 1920s American politics, it offers a critical lens that resonates with political science students and critical thinking readers alike. The essays echo the satirical brilliance of George Orwell and Mark Twain, making it a compelling read for anyone interested in political satire analysis. This edition is not just a reprint - it's a collector's item and a cultural treasure, offering insights into the United States' political history that remain startlingly pertinent. Whether you're a casual reader intrigued by historical critique or a classic-collection buyer seeking a touchstone of political thought, this volume stands as a testament to the enduring power of critical analysis. Its revival is a reminder of the importance of questioning and understanding the systems that govern us, inviting readers to engage with the past to illuminate the present.

Notes on Democracy by enormously influential journalist and cultural critic H. L. Mencken is an incisive and astonishingly timely critique of democracy. Mencken is not opposed to democracy but in his powerful, unabashed polemic, he calls out its inherent and unavoidable fragility. His bracing realism reminds us that naive faith in the inevitable triumph of democracy over all other forms of government is a dangerous delusion, and warns that democracy will not be saved by more democracy. In today's fraught political moment when democracies around the world are under threat from within and without, Mencken's book exposes some of the underlying tensions that must be understood by anyone committed to protecting democracy now and in the future. Includes a noteworthy review of the original 1926 edition by Walter Lippmann, an afterword by Ulrich Baer, and a biographical timeline.