HL Mencken Disturber of the Peace Author:William Manchesster This is biography at its sparkling best. It is, as Manchester himself was, ebullient, explosive, irreverent, and it captures vividly the mind and style of the great iconoclast who pricked pomposity and prudery--and drew blood. William Manchester, who had Mencken's blessing and help, tells the whole story: his lonely childhood as the son of a B... more »altimore tobacco merchant, his early days as a newspaperman, the hectic and hilarious editorship with George Jean Nathan of "The Smart Set", the incredible saga of "The American Mercury", the pioneering scholarship of "The American Language," and the many eminent names from the world of letters and politics who feared and revered his robust invective. It is an extraordinary story of a brilliant personality.« less