William D. HowellsWilliam Dean Howells was an American author of realist novels, literary criticism, and plays. He was born March 1, 1837, and died May 11, 1920. He was known as "The Dean of American Letters." His work as editor of The Atlantic Monthly and his many oter works, such as the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day" and the books The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria, made him famous. William Dean Howells was born on March 1, 1837, in Martinsville, Ohio, which is now called Martins Ferry, Ohio. He was the second of eight children born to William Cooper Howells and Mary Dean Howells. His dad was a newspaper editor and printer who lived all over Ohio a lot. The family moved to Hamilton, Ohio, in 1840. His father ran a Whig newspaper and believed in Swedenborgianism. That was the longest time they had ever spent in one place—nine years. The family had to be very thrifty, but when Howells was young, his parents supported his hobbies in literature. He helped his father with typing and printing when he was very young. This was called being a "printer's devil" at the time. One of his songs was published in the Ohio State Journal in 1852 without telling him. This was done by his father. Read More Read Less