Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken (1880 - 1956) was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, critic of American life and culture, and scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore," he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the twentieth century. Many of his books remain in print. Mencken is known for writing The American Language, a multi-volume study of how the English language is spoken in the United States, and for his satirical reporting on the Scopes trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial." He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians and contemporary movements. In this book: The Antichrist (translator) In Defense of Women The American Language A Book of Prefaces A Book of Burlesques Damn , A Book of Calumny