Montrose Jonas Moses

Born in New York on September 2, 1878, Montrose Jonas Moses was an American writer, critic, and editor who graduated from the City College of New York in 1899. Over the course of his career he worked on the editorial staffs of several magazines and became especially well known for writing about the theater.

Moses had an impressively wide range. He wrote children's books as well as books for adult readers, and he also published biographies, translations, plays, and works of literary criticism. Archival and library records describe him as a drama critic, journalist, and author whose work focused heavily on American and European drama, while also reflecting a lasting interest in children's literature.

That mix of scholarship and accessibility helped give his writing a distinctive character: informed, energetic, and meant for general readers rather than specialists alone. He died on March 29, 1934, but his books still offer a lively window into early 20th-century literary and theatrical culture.