W. D. Howells in the News
Monday, July 19, 2004
From the Journal-News (free but very detailed registration required):
HAMILTON — A self-guided tour of Hamilton is something out of a book.
The tour directs visitors to important sites from the childhood of author William Dean Howells, as told through his book “A Boy’s Town” that recounts his experiences growing up from age 3 to 11 in the 1840s.
Rosslyn Elliot, resident of Westerville and avid fan of Howells’ works, took the tour about a year ago.
“It made Howells, as a man, seem more concrete,” said Elliot, a graduate student at Emory University. “It’s easy to forget that there was once a boy here.”
In addition to “A Boy’s Town,” Howell wrote 35 novels, 35 plays, six books of literary criticism, four books of poetry plus 34 other books and countless newspaper and magazine articles. He was also served as editor of The Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s Magazine.
“(Howells) was a literary giant of the late 19th century,” said Richard Haid, a volunteer on an ad hoc committee for the recognition of Howells. “We don’t have anything else that gives us a unique view of life in Hamilton.”
