Edward Alden Jewell (1888-1947) was an art critic for the New York Times for more than twenty years, contributing numerous pieces throughout the 1930s and 40s, and the author of books on art and artists and also several novels. These latter include The Charmed Circle, The White Kami, and The Moth Decides. The Moth Decides, first published in 1922, is a lightly comedic novel recounting the romantic adventures of Louise and her sister Hilda, daughters of the Reverend Needham, over one summer.