About Henry Nash Smith
Henry Nash Smith (September 29, 1906 – June 6, 1986) was a scholar of American culture and literature. He is recognized as one of the founders of the academic discipline American studies. He was also a noted Mark Twain scholar, and the curator of the Mark Twain Papers. The Handbook of Texas reported that an uncle encouraged Smith to read at an early age, and that the boy developed an interest in the works of Rudyard Kipling, Robert L. Stevenson and Mark Twain. == Early life and education == Smith was born in Dallas, Texas to a father, an accountant who was a native of Kentucky, and a mother who was a native of Alabama. In 1922, he enrolled in Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he studied under John Hathaway McGinnis. In 1926, Smith received his Bachelor's degree at SMU, then enrolled at Harvard University, where he earned the Master of Fine Arts degree. == Academic career == === Southern Methodist University === Smith, who did not yet have a PhD, returned to Southern Methodist University in 1927 and began teaching in the English Department. He was also appointed as editor of the Southwest Review, a position he held until 1937. Smith, who devoted himself almost entirely to the Review during its difficult years in the 1930s, is largely credited with the publication's survival.
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