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Prejudices: Second Series
Nicely done 1977 reprint of Mencken's "Prejudices, Second Series" from 1920. With index. 254 pages.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
About the author
H.L. Mencken
667 books766 followersHenry Louis "H.L." Mencken became one of the most influential and prolific journalists in America in the 1920s and '30s, writing about all the shams and con artists in the world. He attacked chiropractors and the Ku Klux Klan, politicians and other journalists. Most of all, he attacked Puritan morality. He called Puritanism, "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."
At the height of his career, he edited and wrote for The American Mercury magazine and the Baltimore Sun newspaper, wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column for the Chicago Tribune, and published two or three books every year. His masterpiece was one of the few books he wrote about something he loved, a book called The American Language (1919), a history and collection of American vernacular speech. It included a translation of the Declaration of Independence into American English that began, "When things get so balled up that the people of a country got to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are not trying to put nothing over on nobody."
When asked what he would like for an epitaph, Mencken wrote, "If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."
(from American Public Media)
At the height of his career, he edited and wrote for The American Mercury magazine and the Baltimore Sun newspaper, wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column for the Chicago Tribune, and published two or three books every year. His masterpiece was one of the few books he wrote about something he loved, a book called The American Language (1919), a history and collection of American vernacular speech. It included a translation of the Declaration of Independence into American English that began, "When things get so balled up that the people of a country got to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are not trying to put nothing over on nobody."
When asked what he would like for an epitaph, Mencken wrote, "If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."
(from American Public Media)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2016
2nd volume in a series of collected journalism and literary criticism by H. L. Mencken.
The first essay here, which tops a hundred pages, is an early example of the "what's wrong with American literature" polemic today associated with people like Tom Wolfe and Brian R. Myers. Mencken blames all this on the US not having a clear sense of well-defined national identity, which he goes into lengthy sociological disgressions to explain. I can definitely see how Wolfe took inspiration from Mencken in writing style and overall ethos, except that Mencken's writing is full of indictment towards the anti-intellectualism he saw in the culture of the Southeastern United States. This casts the ”Southern gentleman” image Wolfe cultivated in a new light, as if he set out to embody the culture he came from in a form that Mencken's criticism could not be aimed at.
I also enjoyed reading Mencken's obituary of Theodore Roosevelt, which is simultaneously admiring and mean-spirited. I suspect that if Teddy himself read Mencken's obituary, he would be absolutely mortified. Then we have the vicious yet hilarious pisstake on British author G. K. Chesterton, best known today as the creator of Father Brown.
Reading this volume made it clear for me how much Mencken formed a ”missing link” between 19th century existentialists like Max Stirner and Friedrich Nietzsche on one hand, and newer generations of self-consciously iconoclastic academics, authors and journalists on the other. Not just ”new journalists” like Tom Wolfe and Hunter Thompson but also people like Ayn Rand, Vladimir Nabokov or even Slavoj Zizek. The important thing is that buried underneath the goofy humour and constant causticness there are genuinely interesting insights into art, philosophy and society. A balancing act that is much more difficult than Mencken makes it look here.
The first essay here, which tops a hundred pages, is an early example of the "what's wrong with American literature" polemic today associated with people like Tom Wolfe and Brian R. Myers. Mencken blames all this on the US not having a clear sense of well-defined national identity, which he goes into lengthy sociological disgressions to explain. I can definitely see how Wolfe took inspiration from Mencken in writing style and overall ethos, except that Mencken's writing is full of indictment towards the anti-intellectualism he saw in the culture of the Southeastern United States. This casts the ”Southern gentleman” image Wolfe cultivated in a new light, as if he set out to embody the culture he came from in a form that Mencken's criticism could not be aimed at.
I also enjoyed reading Mencken's obituary of Theodore Roosevelt, which is simultaneously admiring and mean-spirited. I suspect that if Teddy himself read Mencken's obituary, he would be absolutely mortified. Then we have the vicious yet hilarious pisstake on British author G. K. Chesterton, best known today as the creator of Father Brown.
Reading this volume made it clear for me how much Mencken formed a ”missing link” between 19th century existentialists like Max Stirner and Friedrich Nietzsche on one hand, and newer generations of self-consciously iconoclastic academics, authors and journalists on the other. Not just ”new journalists” like Tom Wolfe and Hunter Thompson but also people like Ayn Rand, Vladimir Nabokov or even Slavoj Zizek. The important thing is that buried underneath the goofy humour and constant causticness there are genuinely interesting insights into art, philosophy and society. A balancing act that is much more difficult than Mencken makes it look here.
Want to Read
August 31, 2026Part of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s personal library according to Scott Fitzgerald: Romantic and Realist by John Richard Kuehl 1958
*These were books NOT given to Princeton. They were returned to Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald’s daughter, France Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan
*These were books NOT given to Princeton. They were returned to Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald’s daughter, France Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan
Read
November 25, 2022Comment:
A Short note on the Conservative use of the Sociological Notion of Class
But first, a long quote from the essay 'Sahara of the Bozart':
[...]
In the great days of the south the line between the gentry and the poor whites was very sharply drawn. There was absolutely no intermarriage. So far as I know there is not a single instance in history of a southerner of the upper class marrying one of the bondwomen described by Mr. Bruce. In other societies characterized by class distinctions of that sort it is common for the lower class to be improved by extra-legal crosses. That is to say, the men of the upper class take women of the lower class as mistresses, and out of such unions spring the extraordinary plebeians who rise sharply from the common level, and so propagate the delusion that all other plebeians would do the same thing if they had the chance — in brief, the delusion that class distinctions are merely economic and conventional, and not congenital and genuine. But in the south the men of the upper classes sought their mistresses among the blacks, and after a few generations there was so much white blood in the black women that they were considerably more attractive than the unhealthy and bedraggled women of the poor whites." Sahara of the Bozart, Prejudices, Second Series pp. 148-149.
[...]
"As a result of this preference of the southern gentry for mulatto mistresses there was created a series of mixed strains containing the best white blood of the south, and perhaps of the whole country. As another result the poor whites went unfertilized from above, and so missed the improvement that so constantly shows itself in the peasant stocks of other countries. It is a commonplace that nearly all negroes who rise above the general are of mixed blood, usually with the white predominating. I know a great many negroes, and it would be hard for me to think of an exception. What is too often forgotten is that this white blood is not the blood of the poor whites but that of the old gentry. The mulatto girls of the early days despised the poor whites as creatures distinctly inferior to negroes, and it was thus almost unheard of for such a girl to enter into relations with a man of that submerged class. This aversion was based upon a sound instinct. The southern mulatto of to-day is a proof of it. Like all other half-breeds he is an unhappy man, with disquieting tendencies toward anti-social habits of thought, but he is intrinsically a better animal than the pure-blooded descendant of the old poor whites, and he not infrequently demonstrates it. It is not by accident that the negroes of the south are making faster progress, economically and culturally, than the masses of the whites. It is not by accident that the only visible aesthetic activity in the south is wholly in their hands." pps. Sahara of the Bozart, Prejudices, Second Series 149-150.
Yet another example of racial thinking where the addition of sociological class / type categories adds surprising nuance to racial understandings. Contemporary racists would never say that miscegenation is good. They all believe in the superiority of 'pure blood' whites. But here Mencken argues not only that miscegenation had a positive effect on American blacks, but that it was so positive that it makes this particular mixture of white and black superior to the stereotypical southern (pure blood) 'white trash'. (Mencken uses the term 'white trash' several times in this remarkable essay.)
Contemporary racists rarely use the term 'class' in any sociological descriptions. There are, I think, three reasons for that. One reason is the triumph of the notion of democracy even among the extreme right. Of course, for them, democracy can and should only exist within ethnic groups. Also, the notion of the 'sacred unity' of the ethnic group (Der Völk), borrowed from the Nazis, has made tremendous inroads among them. And lastly, any mention of 'class' will elicit shrieks of Marxism or ''cultural marxism' among the denizens of the far right. Disgracefully ignorant of the history of the pre-twentieth century (and even the pre-WWII) far right (and, god knows, of much else) these inbreeds can only understand class as a left-wing ideological formation / weapon. HAH!
Unlike the contemporary far Right, Mencken is contemptuous of any form of Populism. To him, these are always plebian movements consisting of the worst sort of people. The only right-wing populists in his time hailed either from the South or (perhaps 'and' would be more appropriate here) from Christianity. These were the only defenders the 'white trash' had. And H.L. was justly contemptuous of them both.
A Short note on the Conservative use of the Sociological Notion of Class
But first, a long quote from the essay 'Sahara of the Bozart':
[...]
In the great days of the south the line between the gentry and the poor whites was very sharply drawn. There was absolutely no intermarriage. So far as I know there is not a single instance in history of a southerner of the upper class marrying one of the bondwomen described by Mr. Bruce. In other societies characterized by class distinctions of that sort it is common for the lower class to be improved by extra-legal crosses. That is to say, the men of the upper class take women of the lower class as mistresses, and out of such unions spring the extraordinary plebeians who rise sharply from the common level, and so propagate the delusion that all other plebeians would do the same thing if they had the chance — in brief, the delusion that class distinctions are merely economic and conventional, and not congenital and genuine. But in the south the men of the upper classes sought their mistresses among the blacks, and after a few generations there was so much white blood in the black women that they were considerably more attractive than the unhealthy and bedraggled women of the poor whites." Sahara of the Bozart, Prejudices, Second Series pp. 148-149.
[...]
"As a result of this preference of the southern gentry for mulatto mistresses there was created a series of mixed strains containing the best white blood of the south, and perhaps of the whole country. As another result the poor whites went unfertilized from above, and so missed the improvement that so constantly shows itself in the peasant stocks of other countries. It is a commonplace that nearly all negroes who rise above the general are of mixed blood, usually with the white predominating. I know a great many negroes, and it would be hard for me to think of an exception. What is too often forgotten is that this white blood is not the blood of the poor whites but that of the old gentry. The mulatto girls of the early days despised the poor whites as creatures distinctly inferior to negroes, and it was thus almost unheard of for such a girl to enter into relations with a man of that submerged class. This aversion was based upon a sound instinct. The southern mulatto of to-day is a proof of it. Like all other half-breeds he is an unhappy man, with disquieting tendencies toward anti-social habits of thought, but he is intrinsically a better animal than the pure-blooded descendant of the old poor whites, and he not infrequently demonstrates it. It is not by accident that the negroes of the south are making faster progress, economically and culturally, than the masses of the whites. It is not by accident that the only visible aesthetic activity in the south is wholly in their hands." pps. Sahara of the Bozart, Prejudices, Second Series 149-150.
Yet another example of racial thinking where the addition of sociological class / type categories adds surprising nuance to racial understandings. Contemporary racists would never say that miscegenation is good. They all believe in the superiority of 'pure blood' whites. But here Mencken argues not only that miscegenation had a positive effect on American blacks, but that it was so positive that it makes this particular mixture of white and black superior to the stereotypical southern (pure blood) 'white trash'. (Mencken uses the term 'white trash' several times in this remarkable essay.)
Contemporary racists rarely use the term 'class' in any sociological descriptions. There are, I think, three reasons for that. One reason is the triumph of the notion of democracy even among the extreme right. Of course, for them, democracy can and should only exist within ethnic groups. Also, the notion of the 'sacred unity' of the ethnic group (Der Völk), borrowed from the Nazis, has made tremendous inroads among them. And lastly, any mention of 'class' will elicit shrieks of Marxism or ''cultural marxism' among the denizens of the far right. Disgracefully ignorant of the history of the pre-twentieth century (and even the pre-WWII) far right (and, god knows, of much else) these inbreeds can only understand class as a left-wing ideological formation / weapon. HAH!
Unlike the contemporary far Right, Mencken is contemptuous of any form of Populism. To him, these are always plebian movements consisting of the worst sort of people. The only right-wing populists in his time hailed either from the South or (perhaps 'and' would be more appropriate here) from Christianity. These were the only defenders the 'white trash' had. And H.L. was justly contemptuous of them both.
July 12, 2025
Imperial Purple by H. L. Mencken
First of all, I did not find any Imperial Purple under H.L. Mencken on goodreads.
What one is supposed to do, is add the title, which I did a couple of times and will again for the works of www.realini.blogspot.ro , I mean myself.
The funny thing may be that Bluebeard’s Goat and the other stories might not include Imperial Purple, but it feels awkward to add a title, without a cover picture and more of the details required on the site. Let someone else do this job. When I added a short story of Tolstoy, I had the feeling I should write more about it and was reprimanded for not including a spoiler alert. But what a joy it was to see that someone had read my lines.
Imperial Purple is hilarious. We learn some funny aspects in the life of presidents that I can only presume are correct. The suggestion to hand them once they become ex”, seems a bit cruel, but must be taken in the context of a satirical, comedy piece.
Coolidge I think is the one who invites guests and goes down on the boat to sleep. This is the thing he does when he has boring or obnoxious guests.
We tend to envy those at the very top. But in many cases I think it is a misplaced attitude. We better look at Buddhist monks and wish we had their serenity and real high.
Presidents and those associated with Imperial power and the color Purple, have to meet all kinds of people, many unbearable and do things which we would hate to do.
If we look at the news, we see a multitude of “world leaders” who have little to show in terms of IQ, EQ and skills. At one extreme we have the leaders of North Korea, China and Russia, for who I have very little regard, if not worse. But they represent systems with varying degrees of dictatorship, with the exception of Russia, where a huge, 97% majority endorses the actions of Putin in and around the Ukraine.
Even leaders in respected democracies have astonishing flaws. Berlusconi is serving some community sentence, which were it not for his age, would be time in prison. He had bunga-bunga parties with underage prostitutes, bribes, monopolized, kept Angela Merkel waiting and much more.
Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany and Europe seems to be ok, but she fails to rise up to a respectable standard by excessive timidity in promoting reforms in her own country, while pressing others and she is extremely boring. Her competitor in the elections poked fun at her, using her speech techniques: “we need a solid basis for the strong foundation of…”
Ed Miliband of Britain is weird.
Francois Hollande had a long affair with his rival in the Socialist Party; they had four (or three?) children and never married. When he won the elections, after DSK had been caught cheating in a hotel in New York with a maid, Hollande brought his new girlfriend at the Elysee, with an official entourage, supported by taxpayers. The “First Girlfriend” of France was cheated on, and Hollande was photographed in a ridiculous posture, sneaking off on a scooter, from his new misstress’apartment. The “First Girlfriend”went on to smash things at the Elysee Palace, worth lots of money.
Around the world we have nut cases, weirdos or pathological cases like Maduro of Venezuela, Fernandez of Argentina, and Zuma of South Africa would be convicted in a real democracy, or any case dismissed.
It seems reality can be as baffling and humorous as the Imperial Purple.
First of all, I did not find any Imperial Purple under H.L. Mencken on goodreads.
What one is supposed to do, is add the title, which I did a couple of times and will again for the works of www.realini.blogspot.ro , I mean myself.
The funny thing may be that Bluebeard’s Goat and the other stories might not include Imperial Purple, but it feels awkward to add a title, without a cover picture and more of the details required on the site. Let someone else do this job. When I added a short story of Tolstoy, I had the feeling I should write more about it and was reprimanded for not including a spoiler alert. But what a joy it was to see that someone had read my lines.
Imperial Purple is hilarious. We learn some funny aspects in the life of presidents that I can only presume are correct. The suggestion to hand them once they become ex”, seems a bit cruel, but must be taken in the context of a satirical, comedy piece.
Coolidge I think is the one who invites guests and goes down on the boat to sleep. This is the thing he does when he has boring or obnoxious guests.
We tend to envy those at the very top. But in many cases I think it is a misplaced attitude. We better look at Buddhist monks and wish we had their serenity and real high.
Presidents and those associated with Imperial power and the color Purple, have to meet all kinds of people, many unbearable and do things which we would hate to do.
If we look at the news, we see a multitude of “world leaders” who have little to show in terms of IQ, EQ and skills. At one extreme we have the leaders of North Korea, China and Russia, for who I have very little regard, if not worse. But they represent systems with varying degrees of dictatorship, with the exception of Russia, where a huge, 97% majority endorses the actions of Putin in and around the Ukraine.
Even leaders in respected democracies have astonishing flaws. Berlusconi is serving some community sentence, which were it not for his age, would be time in prison. He had bunga-bunga parties with underage prostitutes, bribes, monopolized, kept Angela Merkel waiting and much more.
Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany and Europe seems to be ok, but she fails to rise up to a respectable standard by excessive timidity in promoting reforms in her own country, while pressing others and she is extremely boring. Her competitor in the elections poked fun at her, using her speech techniques: “we need a solid basis for the strong foundation of…”
Ed Miliband of Britain is weird.
Francois Hollande had a long affair with his rival in the Socialist Party; they had four (or three?) children and never married. When he won the elections, after DSK had been caught cheating in a hotel in New York with a maid, Hollande brought his new girlfriend at the Elysee, with an official entourage, supported by taxpayers. The “First Girlfriend” of France was cheated on, and Hollande was photographed in a ridiculous posture, sneaking off on a scooter, from his new misstress’apartment. The “First Girlfriend”went on to smash things at the Elysee Palace, worth lots of money.
Around the world we have nut cases, weirdos or pathological cases like Maduro of Venezuela, Fernandez of Argentina, and Zuma of South Africa would be convicted in a real democracy, or any case dismissed.
It seems reality can be as baffling and humorous as the Imperial Purple.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews