E. W. (Edgar Watson) Howe

Edgar Watson Howe was an American novelist, editor, and essayist born in 1853 and died in 1937. He built his reputation in journalism and became especially associated with Kansas newspaper life, later reaching a wide audience through E.W. Howe's Monthly. Readers in his own time knew him for a dry, skeptical wit and a talent for saying a great deal in a few words.

Before he became widely known as a writer, Howe worked in printing and newspaper publishing across several states. He eventually founded the Atchison Daily Globe, and his long career in newspapers helped shape the clear, direct style that runs through both his fiction and his nonfiction.

His books often drew on small-town America, and he is still remembered for The Story of a Country Town as well as for his sayings and editorial pieces. Even now, his writing stands out for its honesty, humor, and slightly hard-edged view of human nature.