E. B. White (1899–1985)
Author of Charlotte's Web
About the Author
Born in Mount Vernon, New York, E. B. White was educated at Cornell University and served as a private in World War I. After several years as a journalist, he joined the staff of the New Yorker, then in its infancy. For 11 years he wrote most of the "Talk of the Town" columns, and it was White and show more James Thurber who can be credited with setting the style and attitude of the magazine. In 1938 he retired to a saltwater farm in Maine, where he wrote essays regularly for Harper's Magazine under the title "One Man's Meat." Like Thoreau, White preferred the woods; he also resembled Thoreau in his impatience and indignation. White received several prizes: in 1960, the gold medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters; in 1963, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award (he was honored along with Thornton Wilder and Edmund Wilson); and in 1978, a special Pulitzer Prize. His verse is original and witty but with serious undertones. His friend James Thurber described him as "a poet who loves to live half-hidden from the eye." Three of his books have become children's classics: Stuart Little (1945), about a mouse born into a human family, Charlotte's Web (1952), about a spider who befriends a lonely pig, and The Trumpet of the Swan (1970). Among his best-known and most widely used books is The Elements of Style (1959), a guide to grammar and rhetoric based on a text written by one of his professors at Cornell, William Strunk, which White revised and expanded. White was married to Katherine Angell, the first fiction editor of the New Yorker. (Bowker Author Biography) Elwyn Brooks White was born on July 11, 1899, in Mt. Vernon, New York. After graduating from Cornell University, he worked briefly for an advertising agency and as a newspaper reporter before joining the staff of The New Yorker magazine in 1927. As a columnist for The New Yorker and a contributor to Harper's Magazine, White established a reputation as a prose stylist of exceptional elegance, clarity and wit. His interests, as reflected in his writing, were numerous and varied; his essays touched on such wide-ranging subjects as politics, farm animals, and life in New York City. White married Katharine S. Angell in 1929. They had one son, and in 1957 the family left New York for a farm in North Brookline, Maine. Writings from The New Yorker, 1927-1976 is a compilation of columns and essays produced during White's long relationship with the magazine. One Man's Meat, published in 1942, is a collection of his writings for Harper's. White adapted a short guide to English grammar and usage, The Elements of Style, from a college text written by one of his professors at Cornell, William Strunk Jr. It has sold millions of copies since it was first published in 1959 and has become a cherished resource for guidance in writing. White also co-authored Is Sex Necessary? with the humorist James Thurber, a fellow staff member at The New Yorker. E.B. White died on October 1, 1985 after succumbing to Alzheimer's. His diverse legacy also includes three children's books: Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan. In 1970 the American Library Association presented White the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in recognition of his "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children." He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 and received a special Pulitzer Prize citation for his body of work in 1970. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by E. B. White
The Points of My Compass: Letter from the East, the West, the North, the South (2000) 185 copies, 3 reviews
The Wild Flag: Editorials from The New Yorker on Federal World Government and Other Matters (1946) 44 copies
Chickens, Gin, and a Maine Friendship: The Correspondence of E. B. White and Edmund Ware Smith (2020) 44 copies, 2 reviews
In the Words of E. B. White: Quotations from America's Most Companionable of Writers (2011) 24 copies, 2 reviews
Newbery Award Favorite Library 8 Book Box Set : Charlotte's Web, The One and Only Ivan, Ella Enchanted, Dragonwings (2020) — Contributor — 15 copies
THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE. WITH REVISIONS, AN INTROD., AND A CHAPTER ON WRITING BY E. B. WHITE (1972) 7 copies
Death of a Pig 6 copies
W.Strunk.'s E. B. White's The Elements of Style (The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition… (2008) 3 copies
Reading room 3 copies
The Elements of Reasoning 2 copies
The Points of My Compass 2 copies
The geese 2 copies
Charlotte’s Web 2 copies
Charlotte's Web 1973 Edition 1 copy
Seeing Stars 1 copy
O CISNE E O TROMPETE 1 copy
白鳥のトランペット (福音館文庫 物語) 1 copy
Panza Charlottei 1 copy
No Dummy 1 copy
Stuart Little - Abridged 1 copy
Les aventures de Narcisse 1 copy
A Letter From E. B. White 1 copy
Irtnog 1 copy
The Hour of Letdown 1 copy
Tela Di Carlotta 1 copy
Qui New York 1 copy
Letters of E. B. White 1 copy
Charlotte's Web- "DVD" Movie 1 copy
Til Death Do Us Part 1 copy
Rare - Charlotte's Web & Other Classics by White Illustrated New Sealed Leather Bound (1777) 1 copy, 1 review
סטיוארט קטינא 1 copy
No title 1 copy
Associated Works
Fierce Pajamas: An Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker (2001) — Contributor — 725 copies, 6 reviews
A Patriot's Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love (2003) — some editions — 515 copies, 5 reviews
The World of the Short Story: A 20th Century Collection (1986) — Contributor — 477 copies, 4 reviews
Reporting World War II Part One : American Journalism, 1938-1944 (1995) — Contributor — 448 copies, 3 reviews
Reporting World War II Part Two : American Journalism 1944-1946 (1995) — Contributor — 399 copies, 3 reviews
The Lives and Times of Archy and Mehitabel (1916) — Introduction, some editions — 380 copies, 7 reviews
75 Short Masterpieces: Stories from the World's Literature (1961) — Contributor — 308 copies, 1 review
The 50 Funniest American Writers: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to The Onion (2011) — Contributor — 259 copies, 3 reviews
This is My Best: American Greatest Living Authors Present and Give Their Reasons Why (1942) — Contributor — 190 copies
An American Album: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Harper's Magazine (2000) — Contributor — 140 copies, 1 review
The Owl in the Attic and Other Perplexities (1931) — Introduction, some editions — 109 copies, 1 review
The Glorious American Essay: One Hundred Essays from Colonial Times to the Present (2020) — Contributor — 91 copies
The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told: Twenty-Seven Unforgettable Stories (2002) — Contributor — 78 copies
Gentlemen, Scholars and Scoundrels: A Treasury of the Best of Harper's Magazine from 1850 to the Present (1972) — Contributor — 61 copies
Published and Perished: Memoria, Eulogies, and Remembrances of American Writers (2002) — Contributor — 40 copies, 1 review
The Best of Both Worlds: An Anthology of Stories for All Ages (1968) — Contributor — 25 copies, 1 review
Charlotte's Web - 3 Movie Collection (Charlotte's Web/Charlotte's Web -Animation/Charlotte's Web 2 - Animation) (2013) — Original book — 11 copies, 1 review
Contemporary Short Stories: Representative Selections, Volume 3 — Contributor — 6 copies
Furrow's End: An Anthology of Great Farm Stories — Contributor — 2 copies
Contos Dramáticos — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- White, E. B.
- Legal name
- White, Elwyn Brooks
- Birthdate
- 1899-07-11
- Date of death
- 1985-10-01
- Burial location
- Brooklin Cemetery, Brooklin, Maine, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Mount Vernon, New York, USA
- Place of death
- North Brooklin, Maine, USA
- Cause of death
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Places of residence
- Seattle, Washington, USA
New York, New York, USA - Education
- Cornell University (AB|1921)
- Occupations
- journalist
writer - Relationships
- White, Katharine S. (spouse)
Angell, Roger (stepson)
Thurber, James (friend)
Strunk, William (mentor) - Organizations
- Harper's Magazine
The New Yorker
United States Army (WWI) - Awards and honors
- Pulitzer Prize (Special Citation, 1978)
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (1970)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (1963)
American Academy of Arts and Letters (1962)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal (1960)
Members
Discussions
Thornwillow Charlotte’s Web in Fine Press Forum (November 26)
October 2015: E.B. White in Monthly Author Reads (December 2017)
Reviews
Charlotte's Web by E. B White
when you dedicate yourself to someone worthy and make it a life mission to save someone there are rewards that span lifetimes and across family lines
I like this book. I wasn't sure about it at first, but decided that Charlotte is one of the good guys, even if she is a spider! Good characters, good ending. I realized, during my second reading of the book, that there really is no "bad guy." Templeton isn't very nice, but he did what Charlotte wanted him to, so he's technically not a bad guy.
Classic fiction book about a talking pig and spider who become friends with the farmers daughter and each other.
Lists
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Writing (1)
BitLife (1)
Must-Read Maine (5)
BBC Big Read (1)
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KID BOOKS (1)
Elementary Reads (1)
1940s (1)
Read (1)
1970 Club (1)
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Unread books (1)
Childhood books (2)
Favourite Books (2)
Folio Society (2)
4th Grade Books (3)
Elevenses (2)
Overdue Podcast (3)
Ambleside Books (2)
Put a Bird On It (1)
1970s (4)
1950s (1)
Books I've Read (1)
Robin (1)
Food Fiction (1)
Sonlight Books (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 100
- Also by
- 76
- Members
- 99,122
- Popularity
- #92
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 1,649
- ISBNs
- 697
- Languages
- 25
- Favorited
- 95
