It's Max Beerbohm's birthday today. Link. I don't know much about him, but Chesteron liked him and Joseph Epstein likes him. I read just recently that, when Epstein was first married and suffering the financial pangs of early adult life, he had to move (to Little Rock, I believe). To lighten the load, he sold almost all his books, but kept his Beerbohm collection. That's a pretty good endorsement.
GKC on Max:
I remember that Mr. Max Beerbohm (who has every merit except democracy) attempted to analyse the jokes at which the mob laughs. He divided them into three sections: jokes about bodily humiliation, jokes about things alien, such as foreigners, and jokes about bad cheese. Mr. Max Beerbohm thought he understood the first two forms; but I am not sure that he did. In order to understand vulgar humour it is not enough to be humorous. One must also be vulgar, as I am.
