The scholar Mike Davis has suggested that Sutphen "purloined" ideas and scenes for this book from an earlier post-apocalyptic novel, After London, by the English writer Richard Jeffries.
[4] Sutphen was the first editor of Golf magazine, published by Harper Brothers.
[9][10] As a leading figure at Harpers, Sutphen attended Mark Twain's 70th birthday celebrations in New York.
[11] In 1914, Sutphen was Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the New York Center of the Drama League.
[12] He was also a member of the Esperanto Society,[13] and was listed in the New York Social Register.