Arthur wuchs in Baltimore auf und lebte seit 1841 in Philadelphia. Er war seit 1836 mit Eliza Alden verheiratet; sie hatten fünf Kinder.[1]
Arthur war einer der produktivsten Autoren der Zeit vor dem Amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg.[1] Viele seiner Werke, so auch Ten nights in a bar-room, and what I saw there, unterstützen die amerikanische Abstinenzbewegung.[2] Ab 1852 war er Herausgeber der Zeitschrift Arthur's Home Magazine.[3]
Werke (Auswahl)
Six nights with the Washingtonians and other temperance tales (1842)
Riches have wings; or, A tale for the rich and poor (1847)
Advice to young men on their duties and conduct in life (1848)
Golden grains from life's harvest field (1850)
Sketches of life and character (1850)
Ten nights in a bar-room, and what I saw there (1854)
The good time coming (1855)
Friends and neighbours, or, Two ways of living in the world (1856)
The mother's rule, or, The right way and the wrong way (1856)
The history of Kentucky : from its earliest settlement to the present time (1858)
Hidden wings, and other stories (1864)
Sunshine at home, and other stories (1864)
Sowing the wind and other stories (1864)
The history of Georgia : from its earliest settlement to the present time (1869)
Orange blossoms, fresh and faded (1871)
Three years in a man-trap (1872)
Woman to the rescue, a story of the new crusade (1874)
Strong drink the curse and the cure (1877)
Off-hand sketches a little dashed with humour (1885)
