John D. Sherwood

author

John D. Sherwood

1818–1891

Remembered for blending history with humor, this 19th-century American writer turned his sharp eye for politics and public life into lively, satirical books. His best-known work, The Comic History of the United States, gives a playful twist to the nation’s past while reflecting the wit of its age.

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The comic history of the United States, from a period prior to the discovery of America to times long subsequent to the present

The comic history of the United States, from a period prior to the discovery of America to times long subsequent to the present

by John D. Sherwood

About the author

Born in Fishkill, New York, on November 24, 1818, John D. Sherwood studied at Yale College, graduating in 1839. He then read law in Poughkeepsie, spent a short time at Harvard Law School, and later continued his legal training in New York City before being admitted to the bar.

Sherwood did more than practice law. He also served as a Union Army officer during the Civil War and went on to become known as an author with a taste for satire and popular history. His best-known book, The Comic History of the United States (1870), mixes broad humor, caricature, and commentary on American life.

He died on April 30, 1891. Today, he is chiefly remembered for writing history in an entertaining, unconventional way that aimed to amuse readers as much as inform them.