Josh Billings life and biography

Josh Billings was the pen name of 19th century American humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw . He was perhaps the second most famous humor writer and lecturer in the United States in the second half of the 19th century after Mark Twain, although his reputation has not endured so well with later generations.

One of the 19th century's most celebrated humorists, but unlike Mark Twain his humor -- writing in dialect being his chief gimmick -- generally falls flat on modern ears. His most popular works were the Farmers' Allminax, published annually, filled with aphorisms and silliness.

Author of books:

Josh Billings on Ice, And Other Things (1868)
Josh Billings: His Sayings (1869)
Josh Billings Farmer's Allminax (1869-80, almanac, annual)
Everybody's Friend (1874)
Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1876, works)
Old Probability: Perhaps Rain-Perhaps Not (1879)
Josh Billings Struggles with Things (1881)

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