Henry Jackson van Dyke Jr. was a noted author, poet, clergyman and academician, best known for his role in the publication of the 1906 liturgical work ‘The Book of Common Worship’. He was born in the mid-19th century in the United States of America to a well-known Presbyterian clergyman. Although he was deeply influenced by his father right from his childhood days, his initial ambition was to become a writer, but he later changed his mind and joined the Presbyterian Church at the age of 27. Concurrently, he launched his writing career by publishing an article on Red River Valley in the Harper’s Monthly Magazine. Thereafter, he continued to write while also integrating literature into his sermons. At the age of 47, van Dyke gave up his position in the ministry to become an English professor at the ‘Princeton University’, a position he occupied for the next 23 years. However, in the 1910s, he took a break from teaching to become the US ambassador to Netherland. He later fought in the First World War as well. Despite his changing circumstances, he never stopped writing. Apart from a huge number of articles and reviews, he also published around 70 books; thus, finding a place in the contemporary American literature.