H. L. Mencken

God damn the man could write. I've been dipping in Terry Teachout's "The Skeptic" and -- no slight to Teachout, who's done a skilled job here -- the best things in the book are the previously unpublished bits of Mencken. Example:

"The whole policy of Roosevelt II, whether in domestic or foreign affairs, was founded upon the fanning of hatreds -- the first and last resort of unconscionable demagogues, at all times and everywhere. This fanning, or course, was done to the tune of loud demands for tolerance."

A remark Mencken chose to cut from his Minority Report. And there is a bit of news right there. Mencken did the edit on MR himself -- post-stoke -- althought the jottings had been completed by 1948, the year of his debilitating stroke. It was another 7 years -- 1955 -- before Mencken's secretary rediscovered the typscript for Mencken's final book (including completed preface), manuscripts which had been complete erased from Mencken's memory. But when the typscripts were found, Mencken -- at age 75 -- went to work, sifting through his box of collected remarks, and chosing those acceptable for publication.

Oh, before I forget, here are"the only two things you need to know" about H.L. Mencken:

1. Read Mencken. First. Then, if you're still interested, read a Mencken biography.

2. Start with H.L. Mencken's Smart Set Criticism.