In Defense of Women

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The 1918 book In Defense of Women by H. L. Mencken discusses women and how the sexes interact. The book has received both progressive and reactionary reviews. Mencken did not advocate for women's rights, but he did disparage ordinary males by describing women as wiser in a number of innovative and observable ways. The defense was originally titled A Book for Men Only, but it also had the working titles The Eternal Feminine and The Infernal Feminine. In an effort to reach a larger audience, Mencken issued a new edition of the book in 1922 after Philip Goodman had first published it in 1918. This Alfred Knopf second edition was both lengthier and kinder than the first. Mencken frequently advocated political, religious, and metaphysical viewpoints that emphasized their grotesqueness and absurdity; in this context, he welcomed escape from the alleged deceit of such solemn issues. The book received excellent reviews, with four times as many positive as negative ones, according to Carl Bode. Less than 900 copies of the book's initial edition were sold, which was a disappointing result. During the more progressive Roaring Twenties, the second edition fared significantly better in terms of sales.