author
A. P. (Addison Peale) Russell
1826–1912
Best known for the utopian novel Sub-Coelum, this 19th-century American writer moved from printing and journalism into a long career of essays, literary reflections, and public service. His work has a thoughtful, bookish feel, with a special interest in reading, character, and the ideals of culture.
1 Audiobook
Library Notes
by A. P. (Addison Peale) Russell
About the author
Born in Wilmington, Ohio, in 1826, Addison Peale Russell had only a grammar-school education, but he entered the world of print early and built a literary life through journalism and writing. As a teenager he worked for a local newspaper, and by his late teens he was already editing and publishing one of his own.
Russell also spent time in public office, serving as Ohio Secretary of State in the late 1850s and early 1860s. He later became known as an author of essays, sketches, and reflective prose, with books including Library Notes, A Club of One, and Characteristics.
Today he is remembered most often for Sub-Coelum: A Sky-Built Human World (1893), a utopian novel that helped secure his place in nineteenth-century American literary history. Across his work, he comes across as a serious lover of books and ideas who wrote for readers interested in culture, society, and the life of the mind.