[Illustration] THE STURDY OAK A composite Novel of American Politics by fourteen American authors: SAMUEL MERWIN HARRY LEON WILSON FANNIE HURST DOROTHY CANFIELD KATHLEEN NORRIS HENRY KITCHELL WEBSTER ANNE O'HAGAN MARY HEATON VORSE ALICE DUER MILLER ETHEL WATTS MUMFORD MARJORIE BENTON COOKE WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE MARY AUSTIN LEROY SCOTT THEME BY MARY AUSTIN The chapters collected and (very cautiously) edited by ELIZABETH JORDAN Illustrations by HENRY RALEIGH NEW YORK HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 1917 [Blank-copyright info] PREFACE At a certain committee meeting held in the spring of 1916, it was agreed that fourteen leading American authors, known to be extremely generous as well as gifted, should be asked to write a composite novel. As I was not present at this particular meeting, it was unanimously and joyously decided by those who were present that I should attend to the trivial details of getting this novel together. It appeared that all I had to do was: First, to persuade each of the busy authors on the list to write a chapter of the novel. Second, to keep steadily on their trails from the moment they promised their chapters until they turned them in. Third, to have the novel finished and published serially during the autumn Campaign of 1917. The carrying out of these requirements has not been the childish diversion it may have seemed. Splendid team work, however, has made success possible.