author

Jacob K. Huff

1851–1910

A Pennsylvania newspaper writer with a gift for compassion and plainspoken insight, he wrote as Jake Haiden, Faraway Moses, and Finnicky Finucane. His work blends humor, feeling, and a strong concern for ordinary people.

1 Audiobook

The philosophy of Jake Haiden (late Jacob K. Huff) : selected from the columns of the Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania : with a biographical appreciation by his friend Henry W. Shoemaker

The philosophy of Jake Haiden (late Jacob K. Huff) : selected from the columns of the Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania : with a biographical appreciation by his friend Henry W. Shoemaker

by Jacob K. Huff

About the author

Born on January 31, 1851, in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, Jacob K. Huff became known to readers through several pen names, especially Jake Haiden. A 1911 collection of his newspaper pieces, The Philosophy of Jake Haiden, presents him as a widely loved voice in the Reading Times of Reading, Pennsylvania, and also notes the names Faraway Moses and Finnicky Finucane.

Huff published Songs of the Desert in 1895, showing that his work ranged beyond newspaper columns into poetry. The later collection of his writings suggests a writer remembered for warmth, sympathy, and a strong interest in everyday human struggles rather than grand literary display.

Because easily confirmed biographical sources are limited, some details of his life remain hard to verify from major reference works. What does come through clearly is the impression of a regional American author and columnist whose readers valued his humane outlook and memorable newspaper voice.