George Barr McCutcheon

Born near Lafayette, Indiana, in 1866, George Barr McCutcheon began his career in journalism before becoming a full-time author. He studied at Purdue and worked on newspapers in Indiana, experience that helped shape the clear, lively storytelling style that made him a popular writer.

He is most closely associated with Graustark (1901), a romantic adventure set in a fictional European kingdom, and with Brewster's Millions (1902), a comic fantasy about a man challenged to spend a fortune under strict rules. Those books brought him a large readership, and Brewster's Millions in particular proved durable enough to inspire multiple stage and screen adaptations.

McCutcheon went on to publish many novels and also wrote plays, building a career as a widely read entertainer rather than a literary recluse. He died in New York City in 1928, but his name still turns up wherever readers enjoy spirited adventure, invented kingdoms, and classic high-concept comedy.