The Complete Works of Artemus Ward

The Complete Works of Artemus Ward: Illustrated by Charles Farrar Browne.



Charles Farrar Browne (1834–1867) was a United States humor writer, better known under his nom de plume, Artemus Ward. At birth, his surname was "Brown." He added the "e" after he became famous.



In 1858, he published in The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) the first of the "Artemus Ward" series, which, in a collected form, achieved great popularity in both America and England. In 1860, he became editor of Vanity Fair, a humorous New York weekly, which proved a failure.



"Artemus Ward" was the favorite author of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.



Ward is also said to have inspired Mark Twain when Ward performed in Virginia City, Nevada. Legend has it that, following Ward's stage performance, he, Mark Twain, and Dan De Quille were taking a drunken rooftop tour of Virginia City until a town constable threatened to blast all three of them with a shotgun loaded with rock salt.