Isaac Mitchell (c. 1759-1812) was an American writer and journalist, best known today as the author of the

Gothic novel Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean ...

''The Asylum, or Alonzo and Melissa''.

The Asylum

''The Asylum'' was a popular work of Gothic fiction, and has been called "the single most popular Gothic novel in early America." It was first serialized in the ''Political Barometer'', Mitchell's

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

newspaper, in 1804, and then expanded published in book form in 1811. It was then almost completely plagiarized in an edition attributed to Daniel Jackson, Jr., under whose name many copies were sold in the 19th century. Mitchell died before he could file suit against Jackson. The pirated Jackson version went through at least twenty-five printings in the 19th century, and was a good seller into the early 20th century.Davidson, Cathy N
Revolution and the Word: The Rise of the Novel in America
pp. 322-27 (2004 ed.) In ''

Life on the Mississippi ''Life on the Mississippi'' is a memoir by Mark Twain of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War published in 1883. It is also a travel book, recounting his trips on the Mississippi River, from St. L ...

'' (1883),

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

identifies the book (referred to as ''Alonzo and Melissa'' as was common) as one that is still widely read, though most 19th century readers only read the second volume.

Personal

Mitchell was born around

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

in about 1759. He worked in the newspaper business from 1798 until he died from typhus on November 26, 1812.Isaac Mitchell
James Fenimore Cooper Society Website, Retrieved 1 October 2014Hart, James D
The Popular Book: A History of America's Literary Taste
pp. 65, 304 (1951)Burt, Daniel S
The Chronology of American Literature
p. 119 (2004)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Isaac 1750s births 1812 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors Deaths from typhus Writers from Albany, New York Writers from Poughkeepsie, New York 19th-century American novelists American male novelists 19th-century American male writers Journalists from New York (state) Novelists from New York (state) American male non-fiction writers