Irvin S. Cobb

Irvin S. Cobb (1876–1944) was an American writer, humorist, and journalist, born in Paducah, Kentucky, and died in New York. A highly paid reporter for the New York World, he wrote more than sixty books and was known for his Kentucky regional humor and the "Judge Priest" series. His piece "Speaking of Operations" sold over 500,000 copies, showing how much readers of his time enjoyed his humorous style. Two of his works are included here, "Speaking of Operations" and "From Place to Place," commonly classified as inspirational growth. His writing often drew on everyday experience and local color, conveying observations on life through light, humorous narration, and he had a certain influence on twentieth-century American popular literature.