E. B.
White
Not to be confused with T. H. White.
Elwyn Brooks “E. B.” White (July 11, 1899 – Octo-
ber 1, 1985)[1] was an American writer. He was a con-
tributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of
the English language style guide The Elements of Style,
which is commonly known as “Strunk & White”. He also
wrote books for children, including Stuart Little (1945),
Charlotte’s Web (1952), and The Trumpet of the Swan
(1970). Charlotte’s Web was voted the top children’s
novel in a 2012 survey of School Library Journal read-
ers, an accomplishment repeated in earlier surveys.[2]
1 Life
White was born in Mount Vernon, New York, the
youngest child of Samuel Tilly White, the president of
a piano firm, and Jessie Hart White, the daughter of
Scottish-American painter William Hart.[3] Elwyn’s older
brother Stanley Hart White, known as Stan, a professor of
Landscape Architecture and inventor of the Vertical Gar-
den, was influential as a child teaching E.B White to read
and explore the natural world.[4] He served in the army
before going to college. White graduated from Cornell
University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1921. He
picked up the nickname “Andy” at Cornell University,
where tradition confers that moniker on any male stu-
dent surnamed White, after Cornell co-founder Andrew
Dickson White. While at Cornell, he worked as editor
of The Cornell Daily Sun with classmate Allison Danzig,
who later became a sportswriter for The New York Times.
White was also a member of the Aleph Samach[5] and
Quill and Dagger societies and Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI).
White worked for the United Press (currently the United
Press International) and the American Legion News Ser-
vice in 1921 and 1922, and then became a reporter for
The Seattle Times in 1922 and 1923. He then worked for
two years with the Frank Seaman advertising agency as a
production assistant and copywriter[6] before returning to
New York City in 1924. Not long after The New Yorker
was founded in 1925, White submitted manuscripts to
it. Katharine Angell, the literary editor, recommended
to magazine editor and founder Harold Ross that White
be taken on as staff. However, it took months to convince
him to come to a meeting at the office and further weeks
to convince him to agree to work on the premises. Even-
tually he agreed to work in the office on Thursdays.[7]
1
A few years later in 1929, White and Angell were mar-
ried. They had a son, Joel White, a naval architect and
boat builder, who owned Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin,
Maine. Katharine’s son from her first marriage, Roger
Angell, has spent decades as a fiction editor for The
New Yorker and is well known as the magazine’s baseball
writer.
James Thurber described author E.B White as being a
quiet man, disliking publicity, who during his time at The
New Yorker would slip out of his office via the fire escape
to a nearby branch of Schrafft’s to avoid visitors whom he
didn't know.
Most of us, out of a politeness made up
of faint curiosity and profound resignation, go
out to meet the smiling stranger with a ges-
ture of surrender and a fixed grin, but White
has always taken to the fire escape. He has
avoided the Man in the Reception Room as he
has avoided the interviewer, the photographer,
the microphone, the rostrum, the literary tea,
and the Stork Club. His life is his own. He is
the only writer of prominence I know of who
could walk through the Algonquin lobby or be-
tween the tables at Jack and Charlie’s and be
recognized only by his friends.
— James Thurber, E. B. W., “Credos and
Curios”
White died on October 1, 1985, suffering from
Alzheimer’s disease, at his farm home in North Brooklin,
Maine.[1] He is buried in the Brooklin Cemetery beside
his wife Katharine, who died in 1977.[8]
2 Career
He published his first article in The New Yorker maga-
zine in 1925, then joined the staff in 1927 and contin-
ued to contribute for around six decades. Best recog-
nized for his essays and unsigned “Notes and Comment”
pieces, he gradually became the most important contrib-
utor to The New Yorker at a time when it was arguably
the most important American literary magazine. From
the beginning to the end of his career at The New Yorker,
he frequently provided what the magazine calls “News-
breaks” (short, witty comments on oddly worded printed
items from many sources) under various categories such
2 5 BOOKS

as “Block That Metaphor”. He also served as a columnist won the Sequoya Award from Oklahoma and the William
for Harper’s Magazine from 1938 to 1943. Allen White Award from Kansas, both selected by stu-
In 1949, White published Here Is New York, a short book dents voting for their favorite book of the year.
based upon a Holiday magazine article that he had been In 2012, School Library Journal sponsored a survey of
asked to write. The article reflects the writer’s apprecia- readers which identified Charlotte’s Web as top children’s
tion of a city that provides its residents with both “the gift novel (“fictional title for readers 9–12” years old). The
of loneliness and the gift of privacy”, and concludes with librarian who conducted it observed that “it is impossible
a dark note touching upon the forces that may destroy the to conduct a poll of this sort and expect [the novel] to be
city that the writer loves. This prescient “love letter” to anywhere but #1”.[2][14]
the city was re-published in 1999 on the one hundredth
anniversary of his birth, with an introduction by his step-
son, Roger Angell. 4 Awards and honors
In 1959, White edited and updated The Elements of Style.
This handbook of grammatical and stylistic guidance for This list is incomplete; you can help by
writers of American English had been written and pub- expanding it.
lished in 1918 by William Strunk, Jr., one of White’s
professors at Cornell. White’s rework of the book was
extremely well received, and further editions of the work • 1960 American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold
followed in 1972, 1979, and 1999; an illustrated edition Medal
followed in 2005. The illustrator, Maira Kalman, is a
contributor to The New Yorker. That same year, a New • 1963 Presidential Medal of Freedom
York composer named Nico Muhly premiered a short
opera based on the book. The volume is a standard tool • 1970 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award[11]
for students and writers and remains required reading in
• 1971 National Medal for Literature
many composition classes. The complete history of The
Elements of Style is detailed in Mark Garvey’s Stylized: • 1977 L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award, Let-
A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White’s The Ele- ters of E. B. White
ments of Style.
• 1978 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for Letters[9]
In 1978, White won a special Pulitzer Prize citing “his let-
ters, essays and the full body of his work”.[9] Other awards
he received included a Presidential Medal of Freedom in
1963 and memberships in a variety of literary societies 5 Books
throughout the United States.
• The Lady is Cold – Poems by E. B. W. (1929)
The 1973 Oscar-nominated Canadian animated short,
The Family That Dwelt Apart, is narrated by White and • Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do
based on his short story of the same name.[10] (1929, with James Thurber)

• Alice Through the Cellophane, John Day (1933)

3 Children’s books • Subtreasury of American Humor (1941)

In the late 1930s, White turned his hand to children’s fic- • One Man’s Meat (1942) A collection of his columns
tion on behalf of a niece, Janice Hart White. His first from Harper’s Magazine.
children’s book, Stuart Little, was published in 1945, and
• The Wild Flag (1943)
Charlotte’s Web appeared in 1952. Stuart Little initially
received a lukewarm welcome from the literary commu- • Stuart Little (1945)
nity. However, both books went on to receive high ac-
claim. • Here Is New York (1949)
White received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the • Charlotte’s Web (1952)
U.S. professional children’s librarians in 1970, recog-
nizing his “substantial and lasting contributions to chil- • The Second Tree From The Corner (1954)
dren’s literature”. At the time it was awarded every five
years.[11] That year he was also the U.S. nominee and a • The Elements of Style (with William Strunk, Jr.)
highly commended runner-up for the biennial, interna- (1959, republished 1972, 1979, 1999, 2005)
tional Hans Christian Andersen Award, as he was again in • The Points of My Compass (1962)
1976.[12][13] Also in 1970, White’s third children’s novel
was published, The Trumpet of the Swan. In 1973 it • The Trumpet of the Swan (1970)
 3

• Letters of E.B. White (1976) 7 External links

• Essays of E.B. White (1977)
• “E. B. White, The Art of the Essay No. 1”, The Paris
• Poems and Sketches of E.B. White (1981) Review, Fall 1969 – interview by George Plimpton
and Frank H. Crowther
• Writings from “The New Yorker” (1990)
• “The Ring of Time” – essay by White
• In the Words of E. B. White (2011)
• Works by E. B. White at Open Library
• In the Words of E. B. White – Book Trailer on
6 References YouTube (audio-video)
[1] Mitgang, Herbert (October 2, 1985). “E. B. White, Es- • miNYstories based on Here is New York
sayist and Stylist, Dies”. The New York Times. Retrieved
November 25, 2012. • E. B. White at Library of Congress Authorities, with
97 catalog records
[2] “SLJ’s Top 100 Children’s Novels” (poster presentation of
reader poll results). A Fuse #8 Production. School Library
Journal. 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2013.

[3] Root, Robert L. (1999). E. B. White: The Emergence

of an Essayist. University of Iowa Press. p. 23. ISBN
9780877456674.

[4] Stanley Hart White and the question of ‘What is Modern?’

Richard L. Hindle Studies in the History of Gardens &
Designed Landscapes Vol. 33, Iss. 3, 2013

[5] White, Elwyn Brooks; Guth, Dorothy Lobrano; White,

Martha (2006). “Cornell and the Open Road”. Letters of
E. B. White, Revised Edition. New York City: Harper-
Collins. pp. 17–19. ISBN 9780060757083.

[6] “E. B. White Biography”. Encyclopedia of World Biog-

raphy. Retrieved November 25, 2012.

[7] Thurber, James (1969). “E. B. W.”. Credos and Curios.

Penguin Books. p. 124. ISBN 9780140030440.

[8] Elledge, Scott (1984). E.B. White: A Biography. New

York: W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393017717.

[9] “Special Awards and Citations”. The Pulitzer Prizes. Re-

trieved December 2, 2013.

[10] “The Family That Dwelt Apart”. National Film Board of

Canada. Retrieved November 25, 2012.

[11] “Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, Past winners”. Association

for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Li-
brary Association (ALA).
“About the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award”. ALSC. ALA.
Retrieved June 17, 2013.

[12] Weales, Gerald (May 24, 1970). “The Designs of E. B.

White”. The New York Times. Page BR22.

[13] “Candidates for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards

1956–2002”. The Hans Christian Andersen Awards,
1956–2002. IBBY. Gyldendal. 2002. Pages 110–18.
Hosted by Austrian Literature Online (literature.at). Re-
trieved July 16, 2013.

[14] Bird, Elizabeth (July 2, 2012). “Top 100 Children’s Nov-

els #1: Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White”. A Fuse #8
Production. School Library Journal. Retrieved June 17,
2013.
4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text
• E. B. White Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._B._White?oldid=683018640 Contributors: RjLesch, Vicki Rosenzweig, Ortolan88,
Hephaestos, Frecklefoot, Ubiquity, Infrogmation, Wapcaplet, Chadloder, Tregoweth, Ahoerstemeier, Docu, Angela, Nanobug, Jebba, Scott,
John K, Lukobe, Hike395, Jwrosenzweig, Christopher Sundita, Kenatipo, Wetman, Cvaneg, RadicalBender, Dimadick, Bearcat, Naddy,
Blainster, David Gerard, Peterklevy, JamesMLane, CorpDan, Jacob1207, Gamaliel, Just Another Dan, Quadell, Antandrus, MarkSweep,
Schwael, DragonflySixtyseven, Two Bananas, Allissonn, RevRagnarok, D6, Sfeldman, Hayford Peirce, Discospinster, Bender235, ESkog,
Lauciusa, Mr. Billion, EurekaLott, Orlady, Jpgordon, Bobo192, Stesmo, Maurreen, A2Kafir, Disneyfreak96, Alansohn, Gary, Andrewpmk,
Lord Pistachio, Malo, JerH, Velella, Bbsrock, Sciurinæ, Zoohouse, Mikerussell, Priceyeah, Mitc0185, George Hernandez, Angr, Richard
Arthur Norton (1958- ), Lincher, Rad Racer, Graham87, Sjö, Whatcanbrowndo, Nightscream, Lockley, Nneonneo, Kazrak, The wub,
DClement, Gurch, Korg, YurikBot, Stan2525, RussBot, Notyourbroom, Chroniclev, Bill52270, K.C. Tang, Shanel, NawlinWiki, EWS23,
Welsh, UDScott, The Obfuscator, JDoorjam, Nick, Shinmawa, Tony1, Zwobot, T, Doncram, Black Falcon, N. Harmonik, Wknight94, Emi-
jrp, Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, GraemeL, JoanneB, Garion96, Allens, Katieh5584, NickelShoe, Luk, Zanoni, Amalthea, Tadorne,
KnightRider~enwiki, SmackBot, InverseHypercube, Hydrogen Iodide, CRKingston, Renesis, Gilliam, Carl.bunderson, Hraefen, Rosce-
lese, Ikiroid, Ptubb, Darth Panda, Can't sleep, clown will eat me, Chlewbot, Msr69er, Onorem, Vanished User 0001, Seduisant, Derek R
Bullamore, Bulldog123, JackO'Lantern, ArglebargleIV, Kb2arizona, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, Gloriamarie, Kuru, John, The Man in Ques-
tion, STL Dilettante, PRRfan, Ryulong, Citicat, DavidOaks, Renian, Az1568, Courcelles, Namiba, The Letter J, Moreschi, Kaldosh, Gogo
Dodo, Flowerpotman, 63x927is58401, Alaibot, Thijs!bot, Epbr123, TonyTheTiger, Einbierbitte, Marek69, Wildthing61476, JustAGal, Ni-
makha, Lumpish Scholar, Futurebird, RobotG, Majorly, Seaphoto, Tangerines, Jj137, MikeLynch, MER-C, Dsp13, Wildhartlivie, Andreas
Toth, Connormah, Bongwarrior, VoABot II, Meredyth, P64, PhiDeck, Waacstats, Froid, K95, Animum, Autkm, DerHexer, JaGa, Gwern,
Gjd001, MartinBot, Johnpacklambert, Poodle Girl, J.delanoy, Catmoongirl, Whitewolf79, Shawn in Montreal, MATinLA, Starnestommy,
Jeepday, NewEnglandYankee, Molly-in-md, TheScotch, Jorfer, Jenglo, Robertgreer, FJPB, Smitty, Cornell2010, SoCalSuperEagle, Ar-
iobarzan, Jmrowland, Sjones23, Davidwr, Mister3, Aesopos, Philip Trueman, Vipinhari, Technopat, Z.E.R.O., GcSwRhIc, Don4of4,
Greswik, Softlavender, TrippingTroubadour, ObiWanBillKenobi, BOTijo, Insanity Incarnate, Logan, Katrinka ohio, SieBot, StAnselm,
Brenont, Caltas, RJaguar3, Keilana, Toddst1, Arcanine2k7, Sutjo-18005, Redmercury82, Marketingmedia, Maralia, TaerkastUA, Dust
Filter, WikiLaurent, Dabomb87, Escape Orbit, Tanvir Ahmmed, FlamingSilmaril, ClueBot, SummerWithMorons, Rumping, GorillaWar-
fare, Fyyer, The Thing That Should Not Be, Ottawahitech, Random user iooi23ialdjkjk4, Erebus Morgaine, Noneforall, ParisianBlade,
NuclearWarfare, Aitias, Zaydn, DumZiBoT, XLinkBot, Gerhardvalentin, Gianetta69, Dthomsen8, Avoided, Cmr08, Badgernet, Mar-
madukePercy, Willking1979, Fluffernutter, Ronkonkaman, Sleepaholic, LaaknorBot, ThreeOfCups, Glane23, * and Obelisk, Favonian,
Tide rolls, Apteva, Luckas Blade, Marksdaman, Legobot, Yobot, Ptbotgourou, Senator Palpatine, Yngvadottir, Traderwiks, TheMovieBuff,
IW.HG, AnomieBOT, Piano non troppo, Materialscientist, Beinkt, ArthurBot, TheKHUE, Xqbot, Kimbb12, Farawa, Alexander Mclean,
Gensanders, Sunwin1960, Coretheapple, GrouchoBot, Cierraa1, GoodnightChet, SassoBot, Shadowjams, Sanremofilo, Thehelpfulbot,
Green Cardamom, FrescoBot, Roseclearfield, LucienBOT, Mìthrandir, MGA73bot, Philliesaregreat, Jonesey95, A8UDI, Alluullauua46,
Oracleofottawa, Defender of torch, Theo10011, VarietyPerson, Weedwhacker128, Suffusion of Yellow, Arenaria, Onel5969, Rjwilmsi-
Bot, Roaming northeasterner, EmausBot, WikitanvirBot, Razor2988, Noisyloser, Minimac’s Clone, Tommy2010, Wikipelli, K6ka, Illegit-
imate Barrister, Érico Júnior Wouters, Akerans, ElationAviation, Ὁ οἶστρος, Tolly4bolly, RaptureBot, GeorgeBarnick, OpenlibraryBot,
Accotink2, Ian golding, DASHBotAV, Sonicyouth86, Petrb, ClueBot NG, MelbourneStar, This lousy T-shirt, Vacation9, Candyrox32,
Mannanan51, Widr, Portyot70000, WikiPuppies, Ryan Vesey, Ramaksoud2000, Livingarts1, BG19bot, Metallica43441460, Ramesh Ra-
maiah, Juro2351, OpenMind, Judithe1, Mmovchin, Todddempsy, 1jamzer, Writ Keeper, HMman, Nanny.manny, BattyBot, Ausrox147,
Darylgolden, Monstaman007, ChrisGualtieri, Ducknish, JYBot, Acdcbag, BigJolly9, Webclient101, 331dot, Drsils, AldezD, Danny Sprin-
kle, Coocoo127, Bellyramos, Cky419, Ahg gang, JamesMoose, Mightypop, Zariane, Tjkeiderling, Snombo, , Asdklf;, Matiia, Pro-
gressingamerica, Ahrecht, KasparBot and Anonymous: 474

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8.3 Content license

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