David Harum

Written by retired Syracuse, New York banker Edward Noyes Westcott, the work was rejected by six publishers before being accepted for publication by D. Appleton & Company.

[2] The main appeal of the work seems to have been to businessmen, attracted by its approval of a much more relaxed code of business ethics than was presented in most novels of the time.

The fact that these sentiments were placed in the mouth of an elderly country banker—on the face of it, a clear spokesman for "traditional values"—was particularly appealing in that it made these business ethics appear a reflection of the practices of shrewd businessmen through the ages rather than an indicator of moral degeneration.

[6] The concession concerning the main character was a necessary one: the resemblance of the fictitious David Harum, banker and horse trader from the (also fictitious) central New York village of Homeville, and the real David Hannum, banker and horse trader from the (real) central New York village of Homer was too great to deny.

In one respect the radio show however was true to Harum's business philosophy—the program had a reputation for being particularly aggressive in using the story line to push its sponsors' premium offers.