The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML Edition)

Before Mark Twain, there was Artemus Ward and his magnificent con. Charles Farrar Browne created a voice - the pseudo-credulous showman who saw America with fresh, furious eyes - and America couldn't get enough. These essays, sketches, and letters capture a humorist at the peak of his powers: the pompous business letters from a man who ran a "wax figger" show, the deadpan observations on politics and religion, the encounters with circus folk and notable Americans. Browne's genius was making satire feel like innocence - he played the fool while precisely dissecting American society on the eve of the Civil War. This is where American humor found its voice: self-deprecating, sharp, and endlessly entertaining. For anyone who wants to understand where Twain and modern American wit came from, it starts here.