Hamilton Wright Mabie
Hamilton Wright Mabie entered the world on the 13th of December 1846 in Cold Spring, New York. His mother Sarah Colwell Mabie came from a wealthy Scottish-English family while his father Levi Jeremiah Mabie traced his ancestry to Scots-Dutch immigrants. These ancestors arrived in New Amsterdam around 1647 as early settlers of New Netherland. Business opportunities linked to the Erie Canal prompted the family to relocate to Buffalo when Hamilton approached school age. He passed his college entrance examination at just sixteen years old yet waited one year before attending Williams College. The young man later enrolled at Columbia Law School during 1869 despite hating both the study and practice of law.
A weekly magazine called Christian Union hired him in the summer of 1879 for an association that lasted until his death. Editors renamed this publication The Outlook in 1893 while he continued his work there. Promotion to associate editor occurred within the Christian Union in 1884. This role placed him among established literary figures including George Cary Eggleston and Richard Watson Gilder. He also gained election to the Author's Club alongside Brander Matthews and Edmund Clarence Stedman. His tenure spanned decades of American publishing history without interruption until the 31st of December 1916.
Mabie published a small collection of essays reflecting upon life literature and nature in 1890 under the title My Study Fire. Two series appeared with the first volume released in 1890 followed by a second series in 1894. Other works included Nature in New England from 1890 and In the Forest of Arden published in 1891. Short Studies in Literature arrived in 1891 while Under the Trees and Elsewhere emerged later that same year. Essays on Nature and Culture appeared in 1896 and Essays on Books and Culture followed in 1897. These volumes demonstrated his focus on spiritual life combined with observations of the natural world.
Doubleday Page & Co published an anthology series edited by Mabie featuring early volumes for young readers. Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know appeared in 1905 alongside Myths That Every Child Should Know from the same year. Heroes Every Child Should Know arrived in 1906 followed by Legends That Every Child Should Know also in 1906. Famous Stories Every Child Should Know was released in 1907 and Essays That Every Child Should Know in 1908. Heroines That Every Child Should Know came out in February 1908 edited jointly with Kate Stephens. Folk Tales Every Child Should Know completed the sequence in 1910 under the publisher Doubleday Page & Co.
Mabie served as a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity during his time at Williams College. He became the first president of the North American Interfraternity Conference which was formally known as the National Interfraternity Conference. The institution granted him honorary degrees from Union College Western Reserve University and Washington and Lee universities. His alma mater awarded him additional honors including A.M., L.H.D., and LL.D. titles. These distinctions recognized his contributions to literature and education throughout his lifetime before he died at age seventy.
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Common questions
When and where was Hamilton Wright Mabie born?
Hamilton Wright Mabie entered the world on the 13th of December 1846 in Cold Spring, New York. His parents were Sarah Colwell Mabie and Levi Jeremiah Mabie.
What magazines did Hamilton Wright Mabie edit during his career?
A weekly magazine called Christian Union hired him in the summer of 1879 for an association that lasted until his death. Editors renamed this publication The Outlook in 1893 while he continued his work there.
Which books did Hamilton Wright Mabie publish about nature and literature?
Mabie published a small collection of essays reflecting upon life literature and nature in 1890 under the title My Study Fire. Other works included Nature in New England from 1890 and In the Forest of Arden published in 1891.
What anthology series did Hamilton Wright Mabie edit for children?
Doubleday Page & Co published an anthology series edited by Mabie featuring early volumes for young readers. Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know appeared in 1905 alongside Myths That Every Child Should Know from the same year.
When did Hamilton Wright Mabie die and what honors did he receive?
His tenure spanned decades of American publishing history without interruption until the 31st of December 1916. The institution granted him honorary degrees from Union College Western Reserve University and Washington and Lee universities.
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10 references cited across the entry
- 1magazineMabie, Hamilton Wright1907
- 2bookThe Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable AmericansThe Biographical Society — 1904
- 4newsAuthors at Home.; XXVIII. Hamilton Wright Mabie in Summit N.J.Cromwell Childe — May 21, 1898
- 5newsDeath Summons for Noted Editor1916-12-31
- 6newsHamilton Wright Mabie, Noted Publicist, Buried1917-01-03
- 7webHamilton Wright Mabie quotesThinkExist.com Quotations