S. H. (Salmon Hodges) Crittenden

Active in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century, S. H. Crittenden — Salmon Hodges Crittenden — is best remembered for practical business texts rather than literary works. Records from Project Gutenberg and library catalogs link him to Usury; Or, Interest, Premium and Discount (1863), a lecture delivered to students at Crittenden's Philadelphia Commercial College, where he is described as an attorney at law, consulting accountant, and principal.

Library records also show that he revised and enlarged editions of bookkeeping manuals associated with the Crittenden name, including An Inductive and Practical Treatise on Book-keeping by Single and Double Entry. Taken together, these works suggest an author deeply involved in commercial education at a time when bookkeeping and financial literacy were becoming essential professional skills.

Contemporary death notices and memorial records indicate that he died in Philadelphia in March 1864, still a young man. Although little biographical detail now seems easy to verify, the books that remain under his name preserve the voice of a teacher trying to give students a firm, practical grasp of money, credit, and accounts.