Image of John Kendrick Bangs

Timeline

Lifetime: 1862 - 1922 Passed: ≈ 102 years ago

Title

Author, Humorist, Editors, Atirist

Country/Nationality

United States
Wikipedia

John Kendrick Bangs

John Kendrick Bangs was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. 

  
He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis N. Bangs was a lawyer in New York City, as was his brother, Francis S. Bangs. 

 

He went to Columbia College from 1880 to 1883 where he became editor of Columbia's literary magazine, Acta Columbia, and contributed short anonymous pieces to humor magazines. After graduation in 1883 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in Political Science, Bangs entered Columbia Law School but left in 1884 to become Associate Editor of Life under Edward S. Martin. Bangs contributed many articles and poems to the magazine between 1884 and 1888. During this period, Bangs published his first books. 

 

In 1888 Bangs left Life to work at Harper's Magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Harper's Young People, though he continued to contribute to Life. From 1889 to 1900 he held the title of Editor of the Departments of Humor for all three Harper's magazines and from 1899 to 1901 served as active editor of Harper's Weekly. Bangs also served for a short time (January–June 1889) as the first editor of Munsey's Magazine and became editor of the American edition of the Harper-owned Literature from January to November 1899. 

 

In 1894, Bangs ran for the office of mayor of Yonkers, New York, but was defeated. He also was a member of the Board of Education in Yonkers. 

 

He left Harper & Brothers in 1901 and became editor of the New Metropolitan magazine in 1903. In 1904 he was appointed editor of Puck, perhaps the foremost American humor magazine of its day. In this period, he revived his earlier interest in drama. In 1906 he switched his focus to the lecture circuit. 

 

During the period between 1901 and 1906 Bangs was known to have spent at least parts of his summers at the Profile House in Franconia, New Hampshire. He owned one of the 20 connected cottages adjacent to the large hotel, which he sold to Cornelius Newton Bliss in August 1906. As a satirical writer, he was also known in the "Profile Cottage" circles as a jokester and prankster and was frequently the jovial topic of hotel guests and cottage owners alike. 

 

In 1918, he lectured for YMCA and allied troops on the battle front in France during World War I. 

 

In 1886, he married Agnes L. Hyde, with whom he had three sons. Agnes died in 1903. Bangs then married Mary Blakeney Gray of New York in 1904. In 1907 they moved from Yonkers to Ogunquit, Maine. John Kendrick Bangs died from stomach cancer in 1922 at age fifty-nine, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. 

Books by John Kendrick Bangs

Mr. Munchausen Cover image

Mr. Munchausen

Fiction Novel
Truth Travels

Mr. Munchausen is a novel by John Kendrick Bangs, written in the style that has become known as Bangsian fantasy. It is the fourth book of Bangs' Associated Shades series.

A House-Boat on the Styx Cover image

A House-Boat on the Styx

Fantasy Fiction Novel
Short Stories Myths

A House-Boat on the Styx is a fantasy novel written by John Kendrick Bangs in 1895. The original full title was A House-Boat on the Styx: Being Some Account of the Divers Doings of the Associated Shades. The novel was first published by Harper B...

The Autobiography of Methuselah Cover image

The Autobiography of Methuselah

Satire Fiction Memoir
Bible Fictional Biography

A satirical look at early biblical events from the point of view of someone who was there to witness most of them: the oldest man in recorded history.

Alice in Blunderland  Cover image

Alice in Blunderland

Satire Humour
Children Fantastique Parody Economic Humorous Fiction America United States

Alice travels to Blunderland where nothing is supposed to be, children live in the Municipal House of the Children and the Duchess and the City are their parents. Familiar characters made famous by Alice in Wonderland make appearances in the book, in...

The Genial Idiot  Cover image

The Genial Idiot

Fiction Humour
hunt Love Journey Humorous Fiction

John Kendrick Bangs once again takes us on a journey with the loveable, but somewhat self-opinionated and irritating Mr Idiot.

Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others Cover image

Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others

Fiction Humour
Short Story Ghost Story Classics Horror General Fiction

New York-born John Kendrick Bangs was associate editor and then editor of Life and Harper magazines, eventually finding his way into the Humour department. Here he began to write his own satire and humour. Ghosts I Have Met and Some Others is a delig...

Peeps at People - Being Certain Papers from the Writings of Anne Warrington Witherup Cover image

Peeps at People - Being Certain Papers from the Writings of Anne Warrington Witherup

Fiction Essays
Historical Fiction Society Life Family Life Human Nature Reading Existence

Dive into a world of wit and wisdom as you unearth the charming treasure trove that is "Peeps at People - Being Certain Papers from the Writings of Anne Warrington Witherup." Within these pages, the inimitable John Kendrick Bangs offers a captivating...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - January Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - January

Poetry
Dream Poems Life Wisdom Hope Verses Experiences Joys

The new year is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. But how do you keep your spirits up when the winter blues start to set in? The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - January By John Kendrick Bangs is the perfect book to help you star...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - February Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - February

Poetry
Poems Desire Hope Dark Verses Winter Inspirational Joys

A little bit of cheer can go a long way, especially in the coldest month of the year. The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - February is a collection of poems by John Kendrick Bangs that are designed to bring a smile to your face. Each poem...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - April Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - April

Poetry
Poems Challenges Witty Life Domestic Verses Human Nature Joys

What if there was a book that could make you smile every day of the year? The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - April is a collection of humorous and uplifting poems by John Kendrick Bangs. The book is divided into 30 poems, one for each da...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day – March Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day – March

Poetry
Poems Challenges Life Hope Dark Verses Joys

Kick off March with a smile! Start your day off right with a lighthearted poem from John Kendrick Bangs's The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - March. This delightful collection features a poem for each day of the month, each one celebratin...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - June Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - June

Poetry
Beauty Children Nature Poems Happiness Life Wits Entertainment

Start your day off with a smile with a poem from The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - June by John Kendrick Bangs. This delightful collection of poems is perfect for anyone who wants to add a little bit of sunshine to their day. Each poem...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - November Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - November

Poetry
Family Beauty Poems Life Dark Blessings Verses Human Nature

Embrace the chilly winds of November with a bit of verse for every day. The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - November is a collection of poems by John Kendrick Bangs, one of America's most popular poets in the early 20th century. Bangs' po...

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - December Cover image

The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - December

Poetry
Spirit Poems Friendship Challenges Hope Verses Memory

What's the best way to spend a December day? With a bit of cheer, of course! And what better way to bring cheer to your day than with a poem? The Cheery Way, a Bit of Verse for Every Day - December by John Kendrick Bangs is a collection of poems, o...

Alice in Blunderland: an Iridescent Dream Cover image

Alice in Blunderland: an Iridescent Dream

From Alice in Blunderland: "Certain of our members claim that they have a right to sell their votes for $500 apiece--" "Mercy!" cried Alice, "Why, that is--that is terrible." "It certainly is," said the March Hare ruefully, it's rotten. Here I've...

Inventions of the Idiot Cover image

Inventions of the Idiot

"It was before the Idiot's marriage, and in the days when he was nothing more than a plain boarder in Mrs. Smithers-Pedagog's High-class Home for Single Gentlemen, that he put what the School-master termed his "alleged mind" on plans for the ameliora...

Idiot Cover image

Idiot

The Idiot is anything but, yet his fellow boarders at Mrs. Smithers-Pedagog’s home for single gentlemen see him as such. His brand of creative thought is dismissed as foolishness yet it continues to get under their skin, because when you’re beneath c...

Pursuit of the House-Boat Cover image

Pursuit of the House-Boat

This sequel to Bangs' A House-Boat on the Styx continues the "thought-experiment" of bringing various historical and fictional figures together, detailing the adventures of the ladies of Hades after they are kidnapped by pirates and the attempts of t...

Little Book of Christmas Cover image

Little Book of Christmas

Summary: Four short Christmas stories, a bit sentimental, but still affecting and worthwhile. Plus Four Christmas verses. (Summary by David Wales)

R. Holmes and Co. Cover image

R. Holmes and Co.

Raffles Holmes is introduced in these stories as the son of the great Sherlock Holmes. He is also revealed to be the grandson of A.J. Raffles, a gentleman thief pursued by Sherlock Holmes many years earlier. This apparently contradictory family backg...

Coffee and Repartee Cover image

Coffee and Repartee

First released in 1893, Coffee And Repartee is a collection of breakfast chats at a gentlemen's boarding house run by a Mrs. Smithers. Here these fellows repeatedly face questions and proclaimations of an inhabitant they call The Idiot. The discussio...

Mrs. Raffles Cover image

Mrs. Raffles

Mrs. Raffles, widow of the now deceased A. J. Raffles (who was the gentleman thief pursued at one time by Sherlock Holmes), continues the family legacy of crime—but this time in America. These stories are narrated by her cohort, Harry “Bunny” Manders...

Toppleton's Client Cover image

Toppleton's Client

A pre-eminent legal firm gets far more than it bargained for when it hires the son of its late senior partner, Hopkins Toppleton, Sr., simply to retain the illustrious family name on the company masthead. Knowing Jr. is a loose cannon, their strategy...

Enchanted Typewriter Cover image

Enchanted Typewriter

The Enchanted Typewriter is a collection of short stories by the American author John Kendrick Bangs, written in 1899 in the style that has become known as Bangsian fantasy. Bangs attributes many of the stories to the late (and invisible) James Boswe...

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