John Kendrick Bangs
John Kendrick Bangs was born on May 27th, 1862. John passed away January 21st, 1922 at 59 years old. John Kendrick Bangs was born in Yonkers, New York, USA. Bangs attended Columbia College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, and also attended Columbia Law School.
John Kendrick Bangs was best known for being a satirist, editor, humorist, and author who pioneered the
Bangsian Fantasy genre.
He began writing while he was still in college where he contributed to humor magazines to which he sent short anonymous pieces. He also edited
Acta Columbia, the literary magazine during his college years. In 1884, John Bangs worked under Edward S. Martin working on
Life magazine as an Associate Editor.
In 1888, he quit the magazine as he had been tapped by
Harper’s Young People,
Harper’s Bazaar, and
Harper’s Magazine. John Bangs would rise through the ranks to become Humor editor for all
Harper Magazines in addition to editing
Harper’s Weekly. He was also the first editor of
Munsey’s Magazine, which he edited between January and June 1889.
John Kendrick Bangs quit
Harper & Brothers in 1901 and two years later, he was editing the
New Metropolitan. Between 1904 and 1906, he edited magazines, even as he also lectured across the United States. As a writer of satire, he was known as a prankster and jokester.
Earlier in 1886, John Kendrick Bangs got married to his first wife Agnes L. Hyde with whom he had three children. He died of stomach cancer aged 59 in New Jersey’s Atlantic City in 1922.
A House-Boat on the Styx was a work that John Bangs published in 1895.
It begins with the ferryman of the boat Charon annoyed and startled when a mysterious houseboat appears on his mystical river. He is initially afraid of being run out of business, only to learn that he will be made the janitor on the boat. What follows is a bunch of tales on the boat with each featuring a variety of souls from mythology and ancient history.
Following on from the events of his 1895 published novel, Bangs published
The Pursuit of the House-Boat in 1897. The boat had been hijacked by Captain Kidd at the end of the previous novel and the club members are now hoping to track it down with the help of a detective. Sherlock Holmes is the man hired to do the job even though it has been a long time since he died.
John Kendrick Bangs: Lists & Other Mentions
- A House-Boat on the Styx was a Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 1896.
- The Pursuit of the House-Boat was a Publishers Weekly: Bestselling Novel in the United States in 1897.
Related Authors
The most common authors followed by users who also follow John Kendrick Bangs are:
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
- Dean Koontz, author of the Odd Thomas Series.
- Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book Series.
- H.P. Lovecraft, author of the novel: The Complete Works of H. P. Lovecraft / H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Collection / The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft.
- Mark Twain, author of the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Series.
John Kendrick Bangs: F.A.Q
When was John Kendrick Bangs Born?
John Kendrick Bangs was born on May 27th, 1862.
When did John Kendrick Bangs die?
John Kendrick Bangs died on January 21st, 1922 at 59 years old.
Where was John Kendrick Bangs Born?
John Kendrick Bangs was born in Yonkers, New York, USA.
What was the first book John Kendrick Bangs wrote?
The first book written by John Kendrick Bangs was Phoenixiana, published in 1856.
What was the most recent book John Kendrick Bangs wrote?
His most recently released work was The Time Shop on January 1st, 1999.
How many books has John Kendrick Bangs written?
John Kendrick Bangs has written 58 books across 11 series, excluding contributions to anthologies.
- 3 books in the Houseboat on the Styx Series
- 5 books in the Idiot Series
- 2 books in the Shylock Homes Series
- 6 Standalone Novels
- 15 Short Stories/Novellas
- 19 Short Story Collections
- 2 Standalone Plays
- 7 Non-Fiction Books