**William Dean Howells** (March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*, as well as for the novels *The Rise of Silas Lapham* and *A Traveler from Altruria*, and the Christmas story *Christmas Every Day*, which was adapted into a 1996 film of the same name.