THE WORKS OF
WINSTON CHURCHILL
AN ON-LINE INDEX
Compiled by David Widger
Project Gutenberg Editions
Winston Churchill (1871-1947)
(The American Author who is not related to the British Sir Winston)
A Sketch of his Life and Work
This sketch was released byTHE MACMILLAN COMPANY as part of a document to promote Churchill's 1913novel, "The Inside of the Cup."
Mr. Winston Churchill, the author of "The Inside of the Cup,""The Modern Chronicle," "Mr. Crewe's Career," "Coniston,""Richard Carvel," "The Crisis," and "The Crossing," was born inSt. Louis, Mo., November 10, 1871. He is the oldest son of EdwinSpaulding Churchill of Portland, Me., and Emma Bell Blaine, ofSt. Louis. The first sixteen years of his life he spent in hisnative city, which was in fact his home until he built HarlakendenHouse, his present residence at Cornish, N. H. In St. Louis, itwill be remembered, the opening scenes of "The Crisis" are laid;and St. Louis again formed the objective point of Mr. Churchill'snext novel, "The Crossing." From Smith Academy in St. Louis hewent to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.
Winston Churchill had not been a year at the Naval Academy beforehe became interested in American history and American problems, andbefore he finished his course he had made up his mind to devote hislife and energies to these—not only with the pen, but as anactive participant. Much of the atmosphere and some of the materialfor "Richard Carvel" he gathered while still a midshipman at the NavalAcademy; and in the brief intervals between scientific studies anddrills he began to read some of the history which he afterwards used.
He resigned from the Navy on his graduation, worked for a time on theArmy and Navy Journal, and then joined the staff of The Cosmopolitan.While he lived at Irvington-on-the-Hudson, working steadily on themagazine, he continued his experience with fiction. He never tried topublish any of his first work, and it is not now in existence. That year(1895) he married Miss Mabel Harlakenden Hall, of St. Louis; and notlong after established his home at Cornish.
He found himself at thistime in a fairly enviable position. He was not obliged to spend his lifedoing hack-work, and could take abundant leisure to perfect any piece ofwriting which he undertook. However, he united with his rare good fortunemuch rare good sense. He best illustrated the familiar paradox thatgenius is a capacity for taking infinite pains. He approached his workwith an inexhaustible patience, a dogged determination to be true to hisown high exactions, both in style and substance.
Before he began "Richard Carvel," and also while it was on the stocks,he visited Virginia and Maryland, and studied the country and the oldrecords with great thoroughness. He also read a vast amount of historyand other literature which gave the spirit of the period. During theseven or eight months in '98 and '99, when he was writing the book frombeginning to end for the