E.B. White (born July 11, 1899,Mount Vernon,New York, U.S.—died October 1, 1985, North Brooklin, Maine) was an American essayist, author, and literary stylist, whoseeloquent, unaffected prose appealed to readers of all ages.

White graduated fromCornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1921 and worked as a reporter and freelance writer before joiningThe New Yorkermagazine as a writer and contributing editor in 1927. He married Katherine Sergeant Angell,The New Yorker’s first fiction editor, in 1929, and he remained with the weekly magazine for the rest of his career. White’s essays forThe New Yorker quickly garnered critical praise. Written in a personal, direct style that showcased anaffable sense of humour, his witty pieces contained musings about city life, politics, andliterature, among other subjects. White also wrote poems, cartoon captions, and brief sketches for the magazine, and his writings helped establish itsintellectual andcosmopolitan tone. Whitecollaborated withJames Thurber onIs Sex Necessary? (1929), a spoof of contemporary sex manuals. In a monthly column (1938–43) forHarper’s magazine, he wrote essays about rural life.

In 1941 White edited with his wifeA Subtreasury of American Humor. His three books for children—Stuart Little (1945, film 1999),Charlotte’s Web (1952, film 1973 and 2006), andThe Trumpet of the Swan (1970)—are considered classics, featuring lively animal protagonists who seamlessly interact with the human world. In 1959 he revised and published a book by the late William Strunk, Jr.,The Elements of Style, which became a standard style manual forwriting in English. Among White’s other works isPoints of My Compass (1962).Letters of E.B. White, edited by D.L. Guth, appeared in 1976, his collected essays in 1977, andPoems and Sketches of E.B. White in 1981. He was awarded aPresidential Medal of Freedom (1963) and aPulitzer Prize specialcitation (1978). White’s biography ofHarold W. Ross appeared in the 14th edition of theEncyclopædia Britannica.

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