The autobiography of Lincoln Steffens

The Autobiography of Lincoln Steffens was published in 1937, six years after the initial release of his two-volume memoir, appearing as a single-volume edition by Harcourt, Brace and Company. Steffens, a prominent muckraking journalist known for exposing municipal corruption in his earlier work The Shame of the Cities, wrote this retrospective to chart his intellectual and professional evolution. The text serves as a chronicle of the American Progressive Era, documenting his experiences in journalism and his evolving disillusionment with established political systems.

The design and narrative approach reflect Steffens’s background as a reporter who prioritized sharp, observational prose over mere biography. By the time of the 1937 printing, the book had already solidified its reputation as a seminal text in American political literature. It was widely regarded by critics as an essential primary source for understanding the societal shifts of the early 20th century, praised for its candid assessment of the power dynamics that shaped urban development and governmental reform during his lifetime.