 After gaining a national reputation for covering a yellow fever epidemic for a New York paper, he became city editor of the Arkansas Gazette before co-founding the humorous Arkansas Traveler, which he ran for 11 years. In 1888, Reed wrote the first of many books and short stories, often set in Arkansas and focusing on various aspects of Southern life. Notably, many of his pieces gave voices to African-American characters. Reed lectured widely and was a noted golfer, fisherman, and gambler. When he died in 1888,