Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, James Branch Cabell lived a life more or less typical of a Southern gentleman of modest means and impeccable pedigree. He attended William and Mary College (1894-1898) where his precocious brilliance was generally recognized and led to his teaching courses in French and Greek while an undergraduate. Despite the shadow of scandal that fell over the last months of his senior year (he was associated with a middle-aged intellectual who was accused of homosexuality), he was graduated with high honors. Following a brief period of newspaper work in New York City (1899-1901), Cabell settled down in his native Richmond to pursue his twin interests of creative writing and genealogy. Between 1901 and 1911 his genealogical researches led to extensive travel in England and on the continent. He wrote steadily but found no market for what he wrote, and in 1911 he decided to try his...