The Complete Cynic

by Oliver Herford, Ethel Watts Mumford Grant, Addison Mizner

42 pages, Paperback

Published March 28, 2025

About the author

Oliver Herford (1863–1935) was a British-born American writer, artist and illustrator who has been called "The American Oscar Wilde". His family immigrated to Chicago, Illinois when he was twelve, then moved on to Boston seven years later. After schooling back in England and in Ohio, he settled in New York City with his wife Margaret Regan, where he became the writer, illustrator, and poet.

As a frequent contributor to The Mentor, Life, and Ladies' Home Journal, he sometimes signed his artwork as "O Herford". In 1906 he wrote and illustrated the Little Book of Bores. He also wrote short poems like The Chimpanzee and The Hen, as well as writing and illustrating The Rubaiyat of a Persian Kitten (1904) and Excuse It Please (1930). His sister Beatrice Herford was also a humorist.

Ethel Mumford and Addison Mizner wrote a small book The Cynic's Calendar of Revised Wisdom for 1903 as a Christmas present and added Herford's name as an author as a joke. The printer made up more copies to sell and to everyone's surprise it was an astounding success. When Herford found out about it he wanted 90% of the royalties. He was awarded an equal third.