A short life of the author
Elwyn Brooks White (1899–1985) was born on 11 July 1899 in Mount Vernon, New York. He studied at Cornell University and joined The New Yorker in 1927, where he was a contributor for nearly six decades. He lived on a saltwater farm in Brooklin, Maine, from 1938 onward.
Life and Career
White’s New Yorker essays — collected in volumes including One Man’s Meat (1942), The Second Tree from the Corner (1954), and The Points of My Compass (1962) — are among the finest in American literature: precise, witty, and imbued with a deep humanism. His prose style — lucid, rhythmically assured, economical — became the model for American non-fiction writing.
Stuart Little (1945) — about a mouse born to a human family in New York — and Charlotte’s Web (1952) — about a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte on a farm — are masterpieces of children’s literature. Charlotte’s Web is among the bestselling children’s books of all time and deals with mortality with a directness that continues to move adult readers.
The Elements of Style (1959) — his revision of William Strunk Jr.’s grammar textbook — has sold over ten million copies and remains the most widely used writing guide in America.
Major Works and Themes
White wrote about nature, farm life, the city, and the craft of writing. His prose is a demonstration of the principles he taught: clarity, brevity, and the suppression of ego in the service of communication.
Key Works
- Charlotte’s Web (1952)
- The Elements of Style (with Strunk, 1959)
Collecting White
Charlotte’s Web first edition (Harper & Brothers, 1952, with Garth Williams illustrations) in fine condition with dust jacket brings $3,000–$8,000. Stuart Little first edition (Harper, 1945) brings $1,000–$3,000. White is a major collectible author.