The Light That Lies

McCutcheon (1866-1928) was an American popular novelist and playwright whose best-known works include the series of novels set in the fictional East European country of Graustark, and the novel Brewster's Millions which was adapted into a play and several films. He was born in Tippecanoe County, Indiana and his father, despite his own lack of formal eduction, stressed the value of literature and encouraged his sons to write. He studied at Purdue University where he was a roommate of the humorist George Ade and during his college years he was editor of the Lafayette Daily Courier, also writing a satirical serial novel about Wabash River life. The first of his Graustark series was published in 1901, with Brewster's Millions appearing the following year, yet despite the fame he achieved as a novelist he preferred to be identified with his playwriting. This short novel was first published in 1916 and includes five full-page illustrations.