H.L. Mencken, a journalist who was one of the most celebrated American writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was often referred to as “The Sage of Baltimore”. Writing in a number of Baltimore’s daily papers, Mencken developed an acerbic wit and a penchant for syllogisms that would serve him well for decades. As a defender and scholar of American English, Mencken wrote “The American Language: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States” in 1921. The work was very well received, and continues to serve as a helpful resource today. Bartleby.com has placed the entire work online here, and visitors are free to wander through its nine chapters, bibliography, and handful of appendices at their leisure. Visitors can also search the contents of the work from the homepage, or just move their way to such sections as “Americanisms in England” and “The Influence of Webster”.