Charles M. (Charles Montgomery) Skinner

Born in Victor, New York, on March 15, 1852, he built a career in journalism as well as literature. He worked for newspapers including the Brooklyn Eagle, and his writing moved easily between reporting, essays, and books.

He is best remembered for collecting and retelling myths, legends, and bits of folklore from the United States and beyond. That interest gave his work a warm, wandering quality: part literary essay, part cultural memory, and part treasure hunt for strange stories.

He also wrote about Walt Whitman, with a study published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1903. He died on December 20, 1907, but his work still offers a window into the storytelling habits, beliefs, and local traditions of his era.