author

H. B. Sommer

Best known today for the comic 1876 book Our Show, this elusive late-19th-century writer left behind more wit on the page than biographical detail in the historical record.

1 Audiobook

Our Show A Humorous Account of the International Exposition in Honor of the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence, from Inception to Completion, Including Description of Buildings, Biographies of Managers, Receptions of Foreign Dignitaries, Opening Ceremonies, Poem, Oration, Amusing Survey of All Departments, Incidents, Etc., Etc.

Our Show A Humorous Account of the International Exposition in Honor of the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence, from Inception to Completion, Including Description of Buildings, Biographies of Managers, Receptions of Foreign Dignitaries, Opening Ceremonies, Poem, Oration, Amusing Survey of All Departments, Incidents, Etc., Etc.

by David Solis Cohen, H. B. Sommer

About the author

H. B. Sommer is a little-known author now chiefly remembered as the co-author of Our Show: A Humorous Account of the International Exposition in Honor of the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence. The book, written with David Solis Cohen, offers a playful, satirical look at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.

Surviving public information about Sommer appears to be very limited. Project Gutenberg lists only this work under the name H. B. Sommer, and also notes the alias "O'Pagus, Arry," which may point to a pen name or alternate attribution.

Because so little reliable biographical material is readily available, Sommer remains something of a literary mystery. That makes Our Show all the more interesting: it preserves a lively comic voice even when the person behind it is hard to trace.