Josh Billings

American humorist, writer, and lecturer of the 19th century

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About

Josh Billings was the pen name of Henry Wheeler Shaw, an American humorist born in 1818 in Massachusetts. After a brief college career, he worked various jobs before turning to writing at age 40. His style, featuring phonetic spellings and folksy aphorisms, brought him fame with 'Essa on the Muel' (1860). He published several collections and a successful parody almanac. One of the most popular humorists of his era, he died in 1885 in California.

Major works

  • Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)collection of sayings
  • Josh Billings on Ice, and Other Things (1868)collection of humorous essays
  • Everybody's Friend (1876)collection of aphorisms
  • Josh Billings' Farmer's Allminax (1870)parody almanac
  • Old Probability: Perhaps Rain—Perhaps Not (1879)humorous collection

Key milestones

  • 1860Publication of 'Essa on the Muel', which launched his career.
  • 1870First edition of his parody almanac, selling over 130,000 copies.
  • 1885Died of apoplexy in Monterey, California.

Themes

Folk wisdomAbsurd humorSocial critiqueHuman natureEveryday life

Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com