HOWELLS, William Dean, American novelist, poet and critic: b. Martin's Ferry, Ohio, 1 March 1837. During his boyhood his father owned and published daily papers in Hamilton and Dayton, Ohio, successively, and he learned the printer's trade and gradually the whole business of conducting a newspaper. In 1851 he was working in Columbus as a compos itor; in 1856 he became Columbus correspond ent of the Cincinnati Gazette; and in 1859 was appointed news editor of the Ohio State Jour nal. At this time he published a small volume of poems, and also some poems in the Atlantic Monthly. In 1860, when Lincoln was nom inated, Howells wrote his life, and in 1861 was appointed United States consul at Venice, where he remained till 1865. The impressions of his stay there were embodied in 'Venetian Life' (1866), and 'Italian Journeys) (1867). On his return to the United States he was for a time connected with the staff of the New York Times and the Notion. In 1866 he be came assistant editor of the Atlantic Monthly, and editor-in-chief in 1872. In 1886-92 he con ducted the critical department of Harper's Monthly called "The Editor's Study"; in 1892 was of the Cosmopolitan for a short time, and since then has been the writer of the 'Editor's Easy Chair' in Harper's Magazine. Since 1901 he has received the degree of doctor of letters from Oxford, Yale, Columbia and Princeton universities and LL.D. from Adel bert College, and from its foundation in 1909 has been president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
His first novel, 'Their Wedding Journey,' was published in 1871; his other novels include 'A Chance Acquaintance' (1874); 'A Fore gone Conclusion' (1875); 'The Lady of the Aroostook' (1879); 'The Undiscovered Coun
(1880); 'Doctor Breen's Practice) (1882) ; 'A Modern Instance) (1882); 'A Woman's Reason) (1883); 'The Rise of Silas
(1885); 'Indian Summer' (1886); 'The Min ister's Charge) (1886) ; 'April Hopes) (1887); 'A Hazard of New Fortunes' (1889); 'The Shadow of a Dream' (1890); 'An Imperative Duty' (1892); 'The Quality of
(1892); 'The World of Chance' (1893); 'The Coast of Bohemia' (1893); 'A 'Traveller from Al truria' (1894); 'The Landlord at Lion's Head) (1897); 'An Open-Eyed Conspiracy) (1898); 'The Story of a Play' (1898) ; 'Ragged Lady) (1899); and
verse: 'Poems of Two Friends' (1860), with J. J. Piatt; 'No Love Lost, a Romance of Travel) (1868), and 'Poems) (1873). His other works include 'Tuscan
(1885); 'Modern Italian Poets); 'Essays and Ver sions) (1887); 'Criticism and Fiction' (1891), and 'Impressions and Experiences' (1896); 'Literary Friends and Acquaintances' (1899), and 'Heroines of Fiction' ; 'A Pair of Patient Lovers' ; 'The Kentons) ; 'Literature and Life); 'The Flight of Pony Baker) (1902); 'Questionable Shapes' (1903); 'Miss Bellard's Inspiration) (1905); 'London Films) (1905); 'Certain Delightful English Towns) (1906); 'Between the Dark and the Daylight' (1907);