Mischief

by Ben Ames Williams

Out of print

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Ben Ames Williams was born in Macon, Mississippi to Daniel Webster Williams and Sarah Marshall Ames on March 7, 1889. Just after his birth, he and his parents moved to Jackson, Ohio. Because his father was owner and editor of the Jackson Standard Journal in Ohio, Ben Williams grew up around writing, printing, and editing. In high school he worked for the Journal, doing grunt work in the beginning and eventually writing and editing. He attended Dartmouth College and upon graduation in 1910 was offered a job teaching English at a boy’s school in Connecticut. He telegraphed his father seeking career advice, but his handwriting was terrible and his father mistook “teaching” for “traveling” and, not wanting his son to become a traveling businessman, advised him not to take the job. Richard Cary says it later saved Williams from “a purgatory of grading endless, immature English ‘themes’” and propelled him “toward a career as one of the most popular storytellers of his time”. Right after graduation he took a job reporting for the Boston American.

Williams worked hard reporting for the local newspaper, but only did this for income; his heart lay with magazine fiction. Each night he worked on his fiction writing with the aspiration that one day, his stories would be able to support himself, his wife, Florence Talpey, and their children, Roger, Ben, and Penelope. He faced many rejection letters in the beginning of his career, which only drove him to study harder and practice more.

Williams was first published on August 23, 1915 in The Popular Magazine with his short story “Deep Stuff.” After that his popularity slowly grew. He published 135 short stories, 35 serials, and 7 articles for the Saturday Evening Post during a period of 24 years. After the Post took him, other magazines began eagerly seeking Williams to submit his fiction to their magazines.

Williams is perhaps most famous for creating the fictional town of Fraternity, located in rural Maine. 125 of his short stories were set in Fraternity, and they were most popular in the Post. Maine is also the setting for many of his novels.

Williams died of a heart attack in 1953.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Susanne Doremus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand why this book isn't more well known. I couldn't find anything about the story online. I'm pretty sure this book is out of print, too. I'm a big fan of this author and, as a native New Englander, enjoy his accurate descriptions of the old New England countryside and life. This book is shorter than other books I have read by him and I was engrossed in the mystery by the second chapter. My copy had no jacket cover, so I had no idea what the story was about. The story takes place in the fictional town of Fraternity. Ben Ames Williams wrote a collection of short stories based on characters in this town. (I own this book and am anxious to read it even more now that I've read Mischief.) If you want a quick mystery with the backdrop of old New England, read this book! (I will also add that there is moderate violence, but no course language or graphic)