author
Frederic Scrimshaw
A late-19th-century writer remembered for a sharp, unusual satire that turns dogs and fleas into a pointed allegory about power, labor, and inequality. Though little biographical detail survives, the book itself has kept this elusive author in print.
1 Audiobook
The Dogs and the Fleas By One of the Dogs
by Frederic Scrimshaw
About the author
Frederic Scrimshaw is known for The Dogs and the Fleas, published in Chicago by D. McCallum in 1893. The book uses animal allegory to explore the social and economic tensions of its time, and modern library and public-domain records continue to list it as his best-known work.
Reliable biographical information about Scrimshaw is scarce, and I could not confirm basic personal details such as birth and death dates from the sources I found. What does come through clearly is his voice: witty, political, and strongly interested in the condition of ordinary working people.
That air of mystery gives Scrimshaw an unusual place among rediscovered authors. He is less known as a public figure than as the creator of a vivid, provocative book that still stands out for its mix of satire, social criticism, and period flavor.