Reed (1874-1911) was an American author, poet, journalist and philanthropist who wrote a number of bestsellers and even published a series of cookbooks under the pseudonym Olive Green. This work, subtitled Studies in Unnatural History, received a warm letter of appreciation from President Theodore Roosevelt when it was published in 1904. This edition is illustrated throughout by the American artist and writer, Peter Newell, who built a reputation for his humorous drawings in the 1880s and 90s when his work appeared in numerous magazines. He also illustrated books by Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Stephen Crane and many others, as well as his own children's books.