Lawton Mackall

Born in Philadelphia in 1888, Lawton Mackall—also known as Alexander Lawton Mackall—built a varied writing career as an author, journalist, and editor. Sources describe him as especially connected with New York publishing and with writing that mixed observation, humor, and criticism.

He is remembered for books such as Bizarre, a collection of humorous essays, and for Knife and Fork in New York (1948), an early restaurant guide that helped establish his reputation as a food critic and gastronomy expert. That mix of literary wit and practical cultural commentary makes his work stand out.

Mackall died in 1968. Even in brief biographical records, he comes across as a writer with broad curiosity—equally interested in style, everyday absurdity, and the pleasures of the table.