author
Leon H. (Leon Henry) Vincent
1859–1941
A lively American literary critic and lecturer, he wrote with special affection for books, readers, and the personalities behind literature. His best-known work, American Literary Masters, helped introduce major U.S. writers to a wider audience.
2 Audiobooks
American literary masters
by Leon H. (Leon Henry) Vincent
The Bibliotaph, and Other People
by Leon H. (Leon Henry) Vincent
About the author
Born in 1859 and active as an American author, literary critic, and lecturer, he spent much of his career teaching English and American literature in schools and colleges around the country. Archival records at Syracuse University describe him as a writer deeply engaged with literary culture and note that American Literary Masters became his best-known book.
His writing ranged widely. Alongside American Literary Masters (1906), he published The Bibliotaph, and Other People (1898), a witty collection centered on book collecting and literary habits, as well as Hôtel de Rambouillet and the Précieuses (1900) and Dandies and Men of Letters (1913). Taken together, these works show a critic drawn both to classic authors and to the social worlds that grow up around books.
He died in 1941. Although he is not widely remembered today, his essays still have appeal for readers who enjoy graceful literary commentary, old-fashioned curiosity, and the pleasures of a well-stocked library.