Charles M. SkinnerCharles Montgomery Skinner (March 15, 1852 – January 7, 1907) was an American author. Skinner was born in the town of Victor, New York. His literary and journalistic career included serving as editor of the Brooklyn Eagle. In 1903, the Atlantic Monthy published his analysis on the paper's legendary Walt Whitman. He published collections of myths, tales, and folklore from the US and around the globe. He intended to preserve traditions threatened by the industrial age by combining folkloric customs with New England transcendentalism. Skinner's writings covered a wide range of topics. He was a playwright who wrote the play Villon, the Vagabond. Skinner was also fascinated with the changing seasons, particularly as they occurred within industrializing cities. He wrote a gardening and urban beautifying handbook to help improve the urban environment. In Workers and the Trusts and American Communes, he also commented on the tumultuous economy of turn-of-the-century America. Natural history books such as with Feet to the Earth and Do-Nothing Days were among his other contributions to American literature. Read More Read Less