Benj. F. (Benjamin Franklin) Cobb

Born in Ohio in 1844 and later dying in Chicago in 1923, Benjamin Franklin Cobb was an American journalist and writer whose books show a warm, observant, often amused view of the world.

He is especially remembered for works such as Jack Henderson on Tipping, a comic take on the customs of travel and hotel life, but his writing was not limited to one style. Records of his publications show fiction, practical writing tied to the lumber trade, and lighter pieces including Yankee Mother Goose, suggesting a writer comfortable moving between commentary, storytelling, and verse.

That mix helps explain his appeal today: his books feel close to ordinary experience, and even when the settings are from another era, his interest in social habits and human quirks still comes through clearly.