Henry Louis Mencken was fascinated by the American language which was his stock in trade as a journalist and as a lexicographer. While his mental universe was not completely politically correct by today's standards, nonetheless he did yeoman service as a scholar both of the tongue, and of the passing scene of which he was a close observer. the selection here is well worth the look. ( )

H. L. Mencken is one of those famous American writers that I'd heard about but never bothered to check out until after I watched The Wire, which is set in his native Baltimore and whose last episode had an epigraph by him. He's a worthy successor to Mark Twain in many ways: a strong background in journalism, biting satire, excellent with language, full of quotable zingers, and a very perceptive chronicler of life in America. The difference is that Mencken never made his mark with the kind of epochal novel like Huckleberry Finn that Twain did, contenting himself with a career as a high-minded literary critic and belletrist. One of the reasons is probably his personality: he was much more cynical and contemptuous of the average person than Twain was; even the title of this anthology ("chrestomathy" means both literally "things useful to know" and figuratively "a choice selection of an author's best works") conveys something of his complete disregard for the typical vocabulary and educational level of his readers – if you want to read Mencken, you'll either keep a dictionary handy or he'll gladly talk right over your head. He personally selected all the articles that appear in this volume, divided into categories (religion, music criticism, politics, literature, etc) and his range is as impressive as his erudition. It's almost impossible to pick out a favorite selection since they're all so good, but I particularly enjoyed his reporting on the Scopes evolution trial. Highly recommended. ( )

I was under the impression, clearly mistaken, that H. L. Mencken was to books what W. C. Fields was to movies. He seems to have a limited number of ideas, perhaps original to him, perhaps adopted from Mark Twain, Will Rogers and others and then belabors them like Molly Ivens, Garrison Keillor and others. Always quick to ridicule middle class values, he was a misogynist which may explain why we hear little about him today. ( )

You either love Mr. Mencken, or you hate him. The positions he took, the way he wrote them make other reactions seem silly. I believe he was the greatest American journalist who ever lived -- or will live. One thing is certain: there will never be another even half so good. Those who truly love the English language will love the work of H. L. Mencken. ( )

Love Mencken's wit and acute observations. ( )