author
Henry Irving Dodge
1861–1934
Best known for the comic character Skinner, this American writer turned everyday ambition and social awkwardness into sharp, easygoing humor. His work became popular enough to move from magazine fiction to the stage and screen.
1 Audiobook
Skinner's Dress Suit
by Henry Irving Dodge
About the author
Born in New York in 1861, Henry Irving Dodge was an American writer and playwright remembered chiefly for creating Skinner, the well-meaning, striving office man at the center of Skinner's Dress Suit and later stories. That character made Dodge's name and helped define his reputation for light, observant comedy about ordinary people trying to get ahead.
Dodge's fiction found a wide audience in the early 20th century, and some of his work was adapted for film and theater. He also came from a notable literary family: reliable biographical sources describe him as a great-nephew of Washington Irving.
He died in 1934. Though he is not as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, he still stands out as a lively voice in American popular fiction, especially for readers who enjoy humor built from human hopes, vanity, and small social mishaps.