Silas Bent

Silas Bent (1882-1945), American journalist, author, and lecturer, began newspaper work in 1900 in Louisville, Kentucky, on the "Louisville Herald". After three years he moved to St. Louis and joined the staff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as reporter and assistant editor. He was appointed assistant professor of theory and practice of journalism at the University of Missouri School of Journalism when the school was opened in 1908, but resigned that position in February 1909 to return to the Post-Dispatch. Later, he did publicity work in Chicago and then spent 13 years in New York City. As a freelance writer he contributed articles to "The New York Times", "Harpers" and "The Atlantic" among others.

Bent's most famous work is "Ballyhoo" (1927), a critical survey of newspaper practices; he also wrote "Strange Bedfellows" (1929), a book on contemporary political leaders; a biography of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and "Buchanan of the Press" (Vanguard Press, 1932), a novel about a reporter's career set in St. Louis. He is buried in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

elected bibliography

* "Ballyhoo: The Voice of the Press" (1927)
* "Strange Bedfellows" (1929)
* "Buchanan of the Press" (1932)

References and external links

* [http://www.harpers.org/archive/1927/09/0013450 "Harpers" - The Art of Ballyhoo] The Art of Ballyhoo