A Mencken Chrestomathy by H.L. MenckenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is fun when he is on your side, and a bit if a squirm when he isn't. There is some "fallen out of use" vocabulary that take a little getting used to; using cheese-monger as an insult for example. He loves to call things "buncombe" (old way of saying bull), he refers to people as "poltroons" (cowards), and he likes the word "bounders" (another way of saying cad or dishonorable man). Maybe it's just me. I never did find out exactly what he meant by Peruna. It appears to be a word for potato, so a fancy way of saying Vodka? The great internet couldn't help me. That's most of the archaic vocabulary. My favorite parts were the bits about men and women, the piece about the ancient Greeks being overrated, pedagogy, quackery, and music. A decent read of a famous misanthrope.
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