author
Charles H. (Charles Henry) Smith
1861–1926
A hugely popular Southern humorist of the Civil War and postwar years, this writer became famous under the pen name Bill Arp. His letters, columns, and books mixed folksy comedy with sharp opinions, making him one of the best-known newspaper voices of his time.
1 Audiobook
Physics
by Willis E. (Willis Eugene) Tower, Thomas D. (Thomas Darlington) Cope, Charles H. (Charles Henry) Smith, Charles M. (Charles Mark) Turton
About the author
Born in Georgia in 1826, Charles Henry Smith built his reputation writing as Bill Arp, a pen name that first caught public attention during the Civil War. His comic letters and newspaper pieces, written in a plainspoken, conversational style, made him a familiar name to readers across the South.
Over time he became one of the region's most widely read humorists and columnists. Alongside his journalism, he published books including Bill Arp, So Called, Bill Arp's Scrap Book, The Farm and Fireside, School History of Georgia, and Bill Arp: From the Uncivil War to Date, 1861–1903.
His work is remembered for its lively voice and its picture of Southern life in his era. At the same time, modern readers should know that some of his views reflected the racial attitudes of many white Southerners of his day, so his writing can be both historically revealing and deeply dated.