"Written with verve, intellectual sophistication, and a prickly wit worthy of its eminent subject. . . . A first-class piece of literate entertainment" (The New Yorker).   Before he went on to become a celebrated biographer and historian, renowned for such works as A World Lit Only by Fire, American Caesar, and The Last Lion, William Manchester worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun in the 1940s--and it was there that he met fellow journalist H. L. Mencken.   This book tells the story of conservative, anarchist H. L. Mencken's life in compelling, intimate detail--and offers a uniquely personal look at the influential cultural critic and satirist who cofounded the magazines the American Mercury and the Smart Set and became a legend for his sharp and highly quotable wit.