author
John Bell Bouton
1830–1902
A 19th-century journalist and novelist, he wrote lively fiction and nonfiction shaped by years in newspapers and publishing. His work ranges from urban social satire to travel and curious accounts of spiritualism-era culture.
2 Audiobooks
Round the Block: An American Novel
by John Bell Bouton
Roundabout to Moscow: An Epicurean Journey
by John Bell Bouton
About the author
Born in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1830, John Bell Bouton was the son of minister and historian Nathaniel Bouton and graduated from Dartmouth in 1849. He went on to work in journalism, including as editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, before moving to New York and becoming associated with the Journal of Commerce and Appleton’s Annual Cyclopaedia.
Bouton wrote across several genres. He is remembered for books including Round the Block, a novel of New York life, as well as later works such as The Enchanted, which reflects late-19th-century interest in psychical and spiritualist themes. His career suggests a writer equally at home with reporting, commentary, and storytelling.
He died in 1902. Though not as widely known now as some of his contemporaries, his books still offer a useful window into American literary and social life in the second half of the 19th century.