author
J. Armoy (John Armoy) Knox
1851–1906
An Irish-born journalist who helped turn frontier humor into a national hit, he co-founded the wildly popular weekly Texas Siftings and later wrote lively travel and adventure books. His work captures the fast-moving, comic spirit of late 19th-century America.
1 Audiobook
All about the Klondyke gold mines
by J. Armoy (John Armoy) Knox, J. G. Pratt
About the author
Born in Armoy, County Antrim, Ireland, on August 10, 1851, he immigrated to the United States in 1871 and settled in Austin, Texas. After working as a sewing-machine agent and in newspapers, he teamed up with Alexander E. Sweet to launch Texas Siftings in 1881, a humor weekly that became widely known far beyond Texas.
He wrote with an easy, entertaining style that fit both journalism and popular books. Among the works associated with him are Sketches from "Texas Siftings", On a Mexican Mustang, Through Texas, and, with J. G. Pratt, All About the Klondyke Gold Mines. His career later took him to New York, where he continued working in publishing and information services.
He died in New York on December 18, 1906. Though not a household name today, he remains an appealing figure from the age of American newspaper wit: a writer who helped package regional humor, travel, and adventure for a mass audience.