author
Artemus Ward
1834–1867
A sharp, playful voice from 19th-century America, this humorist turned newspaper sketches and stage lectures into a wildly popular comic persona. His deadpan style and mock-serious nonsense helped shape the kind of American humor later associated with Mark Twain.
8 Audiobooks
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition)
by Artemus Ward
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 7: Miscellaneous
by Artemus Ward
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 2: War
by Artemus Ward
About the author
Born Charles Farrar Browne in Waterford, Maine, he became famous under the pen name Artemus Ward. He worked in printing and journalism before his comic "Artemus Ward" pieces made him one of the best-known humor writers in the United States.
His humor mixed misspellings, tall tales, and a straight-faced delivery that made absurd situations seem oddly believable. He also performed public lectures in character, and his success on the lecture circuit gave him an influence that reached beyond print.
Though he died young in 1867 in England, his reputation lasted well beyond his lifetime. He is still remembered as an important early American humorist and as a performer whose style helped open the way for later comic lecturing and stand-up traditions.