James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) Herman Melville (1819-91) Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-96) Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) Mark Twain (1835-1910) Edith Wharton (1862-1937) Edna Ferber (1885-1968) Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) John Dos Passos (1896-1970) F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) William Faulkner (1897-1962) Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Margaret Mitchell (1900-49) John Steinbeck (1902-68) James A. Michener (1907-97)

TLW's American Novelist Historyscope

By T.L. Winslow (TLW), the Historyscoper™

© Copyright by T.L. Winslow. All Rights Reserved.

Original Pub. Date: Dec. 22, 2012. Last Update: Dec. 11, 2023.


Robert Anson Heinlein (1907-88) Harold Robbins (1912-97) J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007) Joseph Heller (1923-99) Norman Mailer (1923-2007) Grace Metalious (1924-64) Harper Lee (1926-2016) Mary Higgins Clark (1927-) John Barth (1930-) Toni Morrison (1931-2019) John Updike (1932-2009) Cormac McCarthy (1933-) Erich Segal (1937-2010) Peter Benchley (1940-2006) Thomas Harris (1940-) Anne Rice (1941-2021) Michael Crichton (1942-2008) John Irving (1942-) Stephen King (1947-) Tom Clancy (1947-2013) James Patterson (1947-) Danielle Steel (1947-) Nora Roberts (1950-) Terry McMillan (1951-) Amy Tan (1952-) John Grisham (1955-) Dan Brown (1964-)

Alternate url for this page:
http://tinyurl.com/americannovelists


What Is A Historyscope?


Westerners are not only known as history ignoramuses, but double dumbass history ignoramuses when it comes to American novelist history. Since I'm the one-and-only Historyscoper (tm), let me quickly bring you up to speed before you dive into my Master Historyscope.

The U.S. started out as a branch of England, breaking free politically but staying pretty much satisfied with reading material from the mother country. It took several decades for a native Am. fiction industry to get up steam, but it created the Great American Novel, and by the 20th cent. the giant mass-market launched science-fiction as well as pulp and romance novels, one big paycheck a year for the lucky few. Alas, the Internet Age ended the Age of Novels as people don't want to read anymore, maybe you just want to look at the pictures until the comic book version comes out :)

Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810)

In 1798 Philly-born Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810) pub. Wieland, or the Transformation; a man goes insane and murders his family; makes him the first major U.S. novelist, influencing James Fenimore Cooper, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne - no need to equal Goethe in this backwoods country? In 1799 he pub. Edgar Huntly; a forest full of hostile Indians; also Arthur Mervyn; also Ormond; a woman stabs to death a wealthy scoundrel trying to rape her. In 1803-5 he pub. Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist.

Washington Irving (1783-1859) James Kirke Paulding (1778-1860)

In 1807 New York City-born Washington Irving (OE "sea friend") (1783-1859), along with William Irving and James Kirke Paulding (1778-1860) pub. Salmagundi; Or, The Whimwhams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, giving the name Gotham to New York City. In 1809 he pub. Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York (A History of New-York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty); the early Dutch settlers and their descendants, based on Harmen Jansen Knickerbocker (1648-1721); Diedrich dresses in baggy-kneed knickerbocker trousers; Santa Claus is depicted wearing a broad-brimmed hat and smoking a long pipe - Washington goes from being the Father of Our Country to the Myth-Maker of New York City? In 1814 he pub. Philip of Pokanoket, which glorifies Indian chief King Philip (d. 1676). On June 23, 1819-July 1820 he pub. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., which incl. Rip Van Winkle ("It's been 20 years since he went away with his gun") (first mention of the game of ninepins in Am. lit.), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (The Headless Horseman) Conn. schoolteacher Ichabod Crane of Greensburgh (Tarry Town) competes for the hand of 18-y.-o. Katrina Van Tassel with Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, who tries to scare him off by dressing up as the Hessian Headless Horseman; "If I can just reach that bridge, I'm safe." In 1820 he pub. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.. In 1822 he pub. Bracebridge Hall. In 1833 he pub. The Alhambra. Meanwhile in 1813 Paulding pub. The Diverting History of John Bull and Brother Jonathan. In 1825 he pub. Konigsmark, the Long Finne (2 vols.). In 1826 he pub. The Merry Tales of the Three Wise Men of Gotham. In 1830 he pub. the play The Lion of the West, a satire of Davy Crockett as Nimrod Wildfire, which becomes the biggest hit on the Am. stage until "Uncle Tom's Cabin". In 1831 he pub. The Dutchman's Fireside. In 1832 he pub. Westward Ho! In 1838 he pub. A Christmas Gift from Fairy Land. In 1838 Paulding becomes U.S. Navy secy. #11 (until Mar. 4, 1841), going on to stink himself up by his opposition to steam-propelled warships, with the soundbyte "I would never consent to let our old ships perish, and transform our Navy into a fleet of sea monsters." In 1846 he pub. The Old Continental, or the Price of Liberty. In 1849 he pub. The Puritan and His Daughter.

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)

In 1820 Burlington, N.J.-born James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) (America's first major novelist) pub. his first novel Precaution, about a country gentleman; he wrote it on a bet that he could write a better novel than the one he'd just read? In 1821 he pub. The Spy, based on an incident in the Am. Rev. In 1823 he pub. The Pioneers, the first of the five novels known as the Leather-Stocking Tales, featuring Natty Bumppo (Hawkeye) and his noble savage pal Chingachgook; first successful novel of frontier life, father of 19th cent. cowboy novels. In 1823 he also pub. The Pilot, set during the Am. Rev., with title char. based on John Paul Jones; the first sea novel? In Jan. 1826 he pub. The Last of the Mohicans, further adventures of Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo AKA Hawkeye in 1757 New York during the Seven Years' War; Cora and Alice Munro, their daddy British Col. Munro, Maj. Duncan Heyward (who has the hots for Cora), and Gen. Daniel Webb, French Gen. Marquis de Montcalm, Delaware sachem Tamenund Tammany (1628-98), who utters the quote "I have lived to see the last warrior of the wise race of the Mohicans"; Chingachgook, last chief of the Mohican tribe (and last of the Mohicans) and his son Uncas, who is killed for his babe Alice, who commits suicide to be with him; it's really Mohegans not Mohicans, confusing the two tribes for generations of readers? In 1840 he pub. The Pathfinder, set on Lake Ontario.

Lydia Maria Child (1802-80)

In 1824 Medford, Mass.-born abolitionist Lydia Maria Child (1802-80) pub. Hobomok: A Tale of Early Times, by an American. In 1825 she pub. The Rebels. In 1828 she pub. The First Settlers of New England, which blames whites for inhuman treatment of Indians. In 1844 she pub. the poem Over the River and Through the Woods; "Over the river, and through the wood,/ To Grandmother's house we go;/ The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh/ Through the white and drifted snow"; her grandfather's house is in Medford, Mass. on South St. near the Mystic River. In 1867 she pub. A Romance of the Republic.

Rev. Josiah Henson (1789-1883)

On Oct. 28, 1830 after saving $350 to purchase his freedom and then being told the price had increased to $1K, black slave Rev. Josiah Henson (1789-1883) escapes with his wife and four children from slaveowner "Mr. Amos R." in Daviess County, Ky., rowing aross the Niagara River from Buffalo to Canada, then to the underground railroad mecca of Kent County, Ontario; in 1833 when Canada officially abolishes slavery he settles S of the Sydenham River near Dresden, Ont., and establishes the 200-acre British-Am. Inst. for escaped slaves in 1841; in 1849 The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave, Now an Inhabitant of Canada, Narrated by Himself is pub. by the Anti-Slavery Society of Boston, Mass., causing Harriet Beecher Store to invite Henson to her home in Andover, Mass., using him as the basis of her world-shaking 1852 bestseller.

John Pendleton Kennedy (1795-1870) William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-63)

In 1832 Baltimore, Md.-born John Pendleton Kennedy (1795-1870) pub. his first novel Swallow Barn, about rural Va. life. In 1835 he pub. Horse-Shoe Robinson: A Tale of the Tory Ascendency, about the Am. Rev. In 1838 he pub. Rob of the Bowl: A Legend of St. Inigoes, about colonial Md. in the days of the 2nd Lord Baltimore. In 1840 he pub. Annals of Quodlibet, a political satire. In Nov. 1857-Oct. 1859 English writer William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-63) pub. The Virginians (3 vols.), sequel to "The History of Henry Esmond" (1852); vol. 2 chap. 4 is written by John Pendleton Kennedy (1795-1870); Beatrix Esmond, now Baroness Bernstein has twin nephews who fight on opposite sides of the Am. Rev; features appearances by Gen. George Washington and Gen. James Wolfe; "To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it; to go through intrigue spotless; to forgo even ambition when the end is gained - who can say this is not greatness?"

Henry William Herbert (1807-58)

In 1834 London, England-born Henry William Herbert (1807-58) pub. his first novel The Village Inn; or The Adventures of Bellechassaigne. In 1835 he pub. Two Brothers: A Tale of the Fronde. In 1837 he pub. Cromwell. In 1841 he pub. The Deerslayer; last of the Leather-Stocking Tales about Natty Bumppo. In 1848 he pub. Field-Sports of the United States and the British Provinces. In 1849 he pub. The Deerstalkers.

William Gilmore Simms (1806-70)

In 1834 William Gilmore Simms (1806-70) pub. Guy Rivers, the first of a series of Border Romances set in frontier Georgia. In 1835 he pub. The Yemassee; also The Partisan. In 1835 Augustus Baldwin Longstreet pub. Georgia Scenes, which introduces backwoods lowlife Ransy Sniffle.

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (1822-47) George Pope Morris (1802-64)

On May 16, 1836 after booze gets him expelled from West Point in 1831 after 6 mo., Boston, Mass.-born 27-y.-o. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) marries his 13-y.-o. 1st cousin Virginia Eliza Clemm (1822-47), who dies of TB, launching his drunken downhill slide; he immortalizes her as Lenore. In July 1838 he pub. his first and only novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. He did much better with short stories and poetry. In 1839 he pub. Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque; incl. William Wilson, The Fall of the House of Usher; Roderick's sister Madeline is in a catatonic trance. In Apr. 1841 he pub. The Murders in the Rue Morgue in Graham's Mag., becoming the first detective (mystery) story; the sequel is The Mastery of Marie Roget: A Sequel to "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", pub. in Nov. 1842-Feb. 1843 in Snowden's Ladies Companion, becoming the first murder mystery based on a real crime. In 1842 George Pope Morris (1802-64) becomes ed. of the New York Evening Mirror (until 1846), which pub. stories by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49), William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) et al. In 1842 Poe pub. The Masque of the Red Death; The Pit and the Pendulum; "Down - still unceasingly still inevitably down!... I shrunk convulsively at its every sweep." In June 1843 he pub. The Gold Bug in Philly's Dollar Newspaper; William Legrand is bitten by a you know what and goes looking for Capt. Kidd's treasure on Sullivan's Island, S.C. with his superstitious black servant Jupiter, and finds all $14M of it using cryptography. In 1844 he pub. Marginalia (1844-9); "By ringing small changes on the words leg-of-mutton and turnip - changes so gradual as to escape detection - I would 'demonstrate' that a turnip was, is, and of right, ought to be a leg-of-mutton." On Jan. 29, 1845 Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven is pub. in the New York Evening Mirror, making him famous; "Once upon a midnight dreary,/ as I pondered weak and weary"; too bad, he stinks himself up by accusing Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of plagiarism, and showing up drunk for a public appearance in Boston. In 1846 he pub. The Cask of Amontillado. In 1847 he pub. Ulalume; a man takes a walk one night in "lonesome October", ending up at the vault of his "lost Ulalume" exactly 1 year after burying her. He dies on Oct. 7, 1849 in Baltimore, Md. after being found delirious from a drinking binge on Oct. 3, repeatedly calling the name "Reynods" (allergy, rabies, diabetes, murdered?); dies 10 days before a planned marriage with 2nd wife Sarah Elmira Royster Shelton, his boyhood sweetheart, atempting to accompany Mrs. Clemm to it; his cousin Neilson Poe doesn't announce his death publicly, and only 10 show up for his funeral; the train carrying his tombstone crashes; his lit. executor Rufus Griswold pub. a mean obituary that damages his rep for decades until he is rediscovered by Charles Baudelaire, Stephane Mellarme, and Paul Valery; he finally gets a proper funeral in 2009; last words: "The best thing a friend could do for me is blow my brains out... Lord help my poor soul"; his home at 85 W. 3rd St., New York City is later claimed to be haunted; beginning on Jan. 19, 1949, the Poe Toaster, a mysterious stranger dressed in black and wearing a fedora hat begins laying three roses and a half-filled bottle of cognac on Poe's grave marker in Baltimore for his birthday, and in 1977 Poe House curator Jeff Jerome begins holding a vigil for him; in 1993 he leaves a note saying "The torch will be passed"; in 2001 he leaves a note mentioning the NFL Baltimore Ravens; in 2007 former ad exec Sam Porpora (1915-) claims to be him.

Ellery Channing (1780-1842) Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888) Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-50) Henry David Thoreau (1817-62) Louisa May Alcott (1832-88)

In the 1840s Concord, Mass. (pop. 2K) becomes the center of an Am. lit. renaissance led by Ellery Channing (1780-1842), Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64), Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-50), Henry David Thoreau (1817-62), and Louisa May Alcott (1832-88); in 1840 Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-50), Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82), and George Ripley (1802-80) found the Transcendentalist journal The Dial (ends 1929); meanwhile Louisa (who had a childhood crush on him) carries on with Henry and also with Ralph, while Ralph and Nathaniel have crushes on Margaret, who jilts them both, travels to Italy and falls for a revolutionary nobleman; meanwhile Henry and his brother John fall for Ellen Sewall, who refuses marriages proposals from both - perhaps a wee bit of guilt over what their ancestors did to the aborigines in 1675 would be in order?

Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-50)

In 1844 Cambridgeport, Mass.-born Transcendentalist feminist brain babe Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-50) moves from Boston to New York City and becomes lit. critic for Horace Greeley's New York Tribune, the first full-time book reviewer in journalism history, rising to the newspaper's first female ed. in 1846, becoming known for the statement that she never met her intellectual equal, and once announcing "I accept the Universe", to which Thomas Carlyle replies "By Gad, she'd better"; another favorite quote of hers is "If you ask me what offices women may fill, I reply, 'Any'. I do not care what case you put. Let them be sea captains, if you will", causing Greeley to yell "Let them be sea captains if they will" to her all the time.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-62)

On July 4, 1845 (Fri.) after building it in Mar. (cost: exactly $28.12 1/2), Henry David Thoreau (1817-62) moves to Walden Pond, Mass. (in Middlesex County near Concord) to "live deliberately" in a self-built cabin on Ralph Waldo Emerson's property for 26 mo. (until Sept. 6, 1847) - the RV hadn't been invented yet? On Sept. 6, 1848 Henry David Thoreau finally leaves Walden Pond, where he's been communing with Nature since July 4, 1845. On Aug. 9, 1854 he pub. Walden, or Life in the Woods; coins the word "loneliness"; "I am no more lonely than the loon in the pond that laughs so"; "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived... I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like"; makes four more trips in later years to see the ocean - as a hermit, or did he entertain?

Herman Melville (1819-91)

In 1846 New York City-born Herman Melville (1819-91) pub. Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, a bestseller which the 22-y.-o. spends the rest of his career trying to follow without success; written after signing up on the whaler Acushnet in 1841, jumping ship in 1842 n Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas, and spending 1 mo. with the cannibalistic Typees; Tommo (himself) and his companion Toby shack up with Marheyo, and find out that the rumors of cannibalism are false and that they are noble savages who make Euros stink? In 1850 he pub. White Jacket, or The World in a Man-of-War; "There is no part of a frigate where you will see more going and coming of strangers, and overhear more greetings and gossipings of acquaintances, than in the immediate vicinity of the scuttle-butt [water cask], just forward of the main-hatchway, on the gun-deck." On Oct. 18, 1851 he pub. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (6,438 sentences), dedicated to "genius" Nathaniel Hawthorne; the greatest Am. novel until ?; "Call me Ishmael" (opening, by narrator Ishmael, a schoolmaster who takes to the sea every time he sours on the world, and who represents the Philosopher to Ahab's Man's Conflicted Identity and the Whale's Implacable Universe); Melville claims not to know it's allegorical until it's pointed out to him?; "I thought I would travel about and see the watery part of the world"; "I spit my last breath at thee, thou damned whale. Thus, I give up the spear" (Capt. Ahab's last words, as he is strangled by a harpoon rope around his neck); "The Pequod Meets the Virgin" (ch. 81); Ch. 83 is about Biblical prophet Jonah; first mate Starbuck; Queequeg from Kokovoko, with the cool tats; Capt. Ahab has a pegleg carved from the jawbone of a sperm whale; the rescue ship is the Rachel; panned by the critics, then banned in Britain for using "unmentionable" words such as "underclothes"; the U.S. ed. is also panned by the critics, and sells only 2K copies its first year, and 3,797 copies in its first 36 years in print; meanwhile Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" cleans up and helps bury him - the novel is really a commentary on the delusion of white supremacy? In 1921 Baltimore, Md.-born Raymond Melbourne "Buck" Weaver (1888-1948) pub. Herman Melville: Mariner and Mystic, the first full-length bio., which resurrects overlooked genius Melville, launching the Melville Revival. In 1923 D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) pub. Studies in Classic American Literature, which helps revive Melville more. In 1924 after Weaver discovers it, Billy Budd is pub. posth.; Red Whiskers, Squeak; he ends up getting hung, uttering the soundbyte "God Bless Capt. Vere". In 1852 Melville pub. Pierre, or The Ambiguities, his only novel to take place on land in the U.S. In 1853 he pub. Bartleby the Scrivener. In 1855 he pub. The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids; also Israel Potter: His Fifty Years of Exile. In 1857 he pub. The Confidence Man: His Masquerade; the shape-shifting Devil tries to snare victims with confidence money, always asking first; a satire of the 1857 panic, which itself causes his sales to be paltry, causing him to quit the novel-writing biz.

In 1850-5 Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Walt Whitman pub. their best work; "You might search all the rest of American literature without being able to collect a group of books equal to these in imaginative quality" (F.O. Mathiessen).

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64)

On Mar. 16, 1850 Salem, Mass.-born Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) pub. The Scarlet Letter, his masterpiece, giving him internat. fame; Hester Prynne gets the Letter A for doing Arthur Dinsdale in Puritanland, while her wronged hubby Dr. Roger Chillingworth chills. In Apr. 1851 he pub. The House of the Seven Gables (Apr.); Alice Pyncheon's ghost haunts the house and plays the harpsichord, freaking out shop owner Hepzibah Pyncheon, her cousin Phoebe, and her lover Holgrave; "Halfway down a by-street of one of our New England towns stands a rusty wooden house, with seven acutely peaked gables, facing towards various points of the compass, and a huge, clustered chimney in the midst. The street is Pyncheon Street; the house is the old Pyncheon House; and an elm-tree, of wide circumference, rooted before the door, is familiar to every town-born child by the title of the Pyncheon Elm"; the real House of the Seven Gables is on Pyncheon St. in Salem, Mass. (built in 1668), owned by Hawthorne's cousin Susanna Ingersoll and by ancestors of the perps of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials; "The Past lies upon the Present like a giant's dead body." In 1852 he pub. The Snow-Image and Other Twice-Told Tales; also The Blithedale Romance; based on his stay at Brook Farm, Mass. In 1853 he pub. Tanglewood Tales. In 1854 he pub. Mosses from the Old Manse (short stories); written at the 1770 Old Manse, Ralph Waldo Emerson's place, located next to the North Bridge over Concord River in Concord, Mass. In 1860 he pub. The Marble Faun, about the Beatrice Cenci (1577-99) case; Hilda and Mariam debate her guilt for murdering her sexually-abusive daddy, with Mariam calling it "no sin at all, but the best possible virtue in the circumstances". In 1863 he pub. Our Old Home: A Series of English Sketches; his last work pub. during his lifetime, completed in the Tower of the Wayside after his return from Europe; dedicated to ex-pres. Franklin Pierce. In 1872 Septimius Felton; or, The Elixir of Life is pub. posth., ed. by his daughter Una and poet Robert Browning.

Susan Bogert Warner (1819-85)

In 1850 New York City-born Susan Bogert Warner (1819-85) pub. The Wide, Wide World under the alias Elizabeth Wetherell, a pious tale of orphan Ellen Montgomery, becoming the first bestseller in the U.S. and most popular Am. novel after "Uncle Tom's Cabin". In 1852 she pub. Queechy. In 1856 she pub. The Hills of the Shatemuc. In 1864 she pub. Melbourne House.

William Clark Falkner (1825-89)

In 1851 Knox County, Tenn.-born William Clark "Old Kunnel" Falkner (1825-89) (great-grandfather of William Faulkner) pub. The Siege of Monterey; also The Spanish Heroine. In 1867 he pub. The Lost Diamond. In 1881 he pub. The White Rose of Memphis; his biggest hit, selling 160K copies in 35 eds. In 1882 he pub. The Little Brick Church.

Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (1811-96) Rev. Lyman Beecher (1775-1863) Martin Robinson Delany (1812-85)

On Mar. 20, 1852 Litchfield, Conn.-born Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (1811-96) ("Crusader in Crinoline"), daughter of Rev. Lyman Beecher (1775-1863) pub. her compelling, tear-jerking, rabble-rousing, widely-translated anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (pub. starting June 5, 1851 in 10 monthly installments in Nat. Era, then as a book on Mar. 20, 1852), selling 300K copies in its first year then going on to become the first million-selling novel, the #1-selling novel in the world in the 19th cent., and #2 after the Bible. In 1853 Martin Robinson Delany (1812-85) pub. Blake; or The Huts of America, the first novel by an African-Am. pub. in the U.S., a response to "Uncle Tom's Cabin" showing slaves as active not passive, and advocating black separatism; changes "No more hard work for poor old Ned/ He's gone whar de good darkeys go" in Stephen Foster's "Old Uncle Ned" to "Old master's gone to the slaveholders' rest/ He's gone where they all ought to go". In 1854 she pub. The Minister's Wooing, about Am. Rev. War abolitionist minister Rev. Samuel Hopkins (1721-1803). In 1856 she pub. Dred, A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp (2 vols.). In 1862 she pub. The Pearl of Orr's Island. In 1869 she pub. Oldtown Folks, about runaway slave kids.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-88)

In 1854 eyebrow and makeup-free Germantown, Penn.-born Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) pub. Flower Fables. In 1868-9 she pub. Little Women (Good Wives) (2 vols.), a big hit, spawning sequels "Little Men" (1871) and "Jo's Boys" (1886); mother Marmee (wife of Col. March) and the four March sisters (the first "All-American girls?") growing up in Transcendentalist Concord, Mass. during the U.S. Civil War, incl. unconventional tomboy "topsy-turvy" Jo (who becomes a novelist), fragile Beth (who gets scarlet fever), mischievous Amy (the youngest, who grows up into a sedate young artist), and domestically inclined Meg; based on her own Orchard House; "It's so dreadful to be poor" (Meg); filmed in 1917, 1918, 1933 by George Cukor, 1949 by Mervyn LeRoy, 1978 by Gordon Hessler, and 1994 by Gillian Armstrong. In 1871 she pub. Little Men. In 1873 she pub. Work. In 1877 she pub. A Modern Mephistopheles; Under the Lilacs. In 1884 she pub. Spinning-Wheel Stories. In 1886 she pub. Jo's Boys.

Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber (1814-90)

In 1854 Portsmouth, N.H.-born Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber (1814-90) pub. Life and Sayings of Mrs. Partington. In 1862 he pub. The Doublet-Runner Club.

Charles Godfrey Leland (1824-1903)

In 1855 Philly-born Charles Godfrey Leland (1824-1903) pub. Meister Karl's Sketch-book. In 1867 he pub. Hans Breitmann Ballads (3 vols.) (1867, 1870, 1895); in Penn. Dutch dialect. In 1899 he pub. Unpub. Legends of Vergil.

Francis Parkman (1823-93)

In 1856 Boston, Mass-born Francis Parkman (1823-93) pub. Vassall Morton.

On June 9, 1860 Mrs. Ann S. Stephens pub. Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter, the first dime novel; an Indian maiden marries a white settler and has a mixed son; sells 65K copies in a few mo., and 300K copies total (duh, $30K?); first of a series of 321 by Beadle & Adams; each is about 6.5 in. x 4.25 in., salmon-colored, and about 100 pages, and most are lurid outlandish melodramatic frontier stories.

Petroleum V. Nasby (David Ross Locke) (1833-88)

In 1860-5 Vestal, N.Y.-born Petroleum V. Nasby (David Rosse Locke) (1833-88) pub. Civil War Letters of the Rev. Petroleum Vesuvius Nasby, in which a Copperhead Dem. Confed. deserter tries to get a sinecure job with the "Post Orfis"; a big hit with Abraham Lincoln, who says "If he will communicate his talent to me, I will swap places with him." In 1866 he pub. Swingin' Round the Cirkle. In 1867 he pub. Ekkoes from Kentucky. In 1872 he pub. The Struggles, Social, Financial, and Political of P.V. Nasby. In 1878 he pub. A Paper City.

Richard Jordan Gatling (1818-1903) Gatling Gun, 1862

In 1861-5 the horrific U.S. Civil War sees the invention of the first modern weapon when N.C.-born agricultural equipment maker Richard Jordan Gatling (1818-1903) patents the 10-barrel hand-cranked hundreds-of-rounds-per-min. Gatling Gun (the first practical machine gun) just in time for use on some Johnny Rebs; it is first used by the Union Army in 1864, but luckily never sees extensive use.

George William Curtis (1824-92)

In 1861 Providence, R.I.-born George William Curtis (1824-92) pub. Trumps (first pub. in Harper's Weekly in 1859-60), a romance set in realistically-depicted New York City. In 1863 he becomes ed. of Harper's Weekly.

Rebecca Harding Davis (1831-1910)

In 1861 Rebecca Harding Davis (1831-1910) pub. Life in the Iron Mills (first pub. in Atlantic Monthly), one of the first works of Am. realism, depicting mill workers in Wheeling, W. Va. as virtuous victims of mean mill owners; "Come right down with me - here in the thickest fog and mud and effluvia." In 1897 she pub. Soldiers of Fortune; illustrations by Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944).

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-84)

In 1861 Cambridge, Mass.-born Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-94) ("Autocrat of the Breakfast Table") pub. his first novel Elsie Venner: A Romance of Destiny (first pub. in Atlantic Monthly in 1859); a pregnant woman is bitten by a snake, causing her daughter to have serpentlike qualities; a lame but controversial attack on the stern Calvinist dogmas of his youth. In 1885 he pub. The Moral Antipathy.

Union Pvt. Theodore Winthrop (1828-61)

In 1861 Theodore Winthrop (1828-61), the first Union soldier killed in the U.S. Civil War pub. his first novel Cecil Dreeme, a Gothic story about a girl who disguises herself as a man to avoid marriage; becomes a bestseller, going through three printings in a week, and 19 by 1866.

Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909)

In 1862 Roxbury, Mass.-born Unitarian minister Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) (great-nephew of Nathan Hale) pub. The Man Without a Country, inspired by a Northerner whose Southern sympathies got him exiled to Canada; it strengthens the Union cause in the North.

Horace Elisha Scudder (1838-1902)

In 1862 Boston, Mass.-born Horace Elisha Scudder (1838-1902) pub. Seven Little People and Their Friends. In 1875-87 he pub. The Bodley Books (8 vols.). In 1890-8 he becomes ed. of Atlantic Monthly.

Artemus Ward (1834-67)

In 1862 Waterford, Maine-born Artemus Ward (Charles Farrar Browne) (1834-67) (favorite author of Abraham Lincoln) pub. His Book.

Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905)

In 1865 New York City-born children's writer Mary Elizabeth Mapes Dodge (1831-1905) pub. Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates, about Hans and Gretel in a Dutch village; Gretel wins a skating contest, and their daddy is treated by a famous doctor. In 1883 she pub. Donald and Dorothy. In 1894 she pub. The Land of Pluck: Stories and Sketches for Young Folk.

Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-85)

In 1865 Lanesborough, Mass.-born humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-85) pub. Josh Billings: His Sayings, dispensing illiterate Yankee cracker barrel philosophy, becoming a hit, launching a series incl. an annual "Allminax" in 1869-80. In 1868 he pub. Josh Billings on Ice and Other Things. In 1874 he pub. Everybody's Friend. In 1877 he pub. Josh Billings' Trump Kards. In 1879 he pub. Old Probability. In 1881 he pub. Josh Billings Struggling with Things.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) Mark Twain (1835-1910) Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900)

In 1865 after pub. his first story The Dandy Frightening the Squatter in The Carpet-Bag in 1852, Florida, Mo.-born former Mississippi riverboat pilot Mark Twain (1835-1910) pub. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, about how Jim Smiley and his frog Dan'l Webster are defeated by a cheater; first pub. in the Saturday Press in New York City; repub. in his first book in 1867 along with 26 previously-pub. stories; In 1873 he pub. his first novel with Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900), titled The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, in which frontierswoman Laura Hawkins accepts an invitation from Sen. Dilworthy to Washington, D.C., and poses as an heiress, conquering the town and working with him to push over a sleazy Tenn. land bill to build a univ. for emancipated slaves; only her friend Philip Sterling is disgusted by Washington, calling it "the maddest Vanity Fair one could conceive", and a "feverish, unhealthy atmosphere in which lunacy would be easily developed"; satirizes the greed, materialism, corruption, and vulgarity of the post-Civil War U.S. society, and the title gets applied to the entire decade all the way to the McKinley admin. In 1876 Twain pub. the memoir Old Times on the Mississippi, (his favorite work) in Atlantic Monthly, which is repub. in Life on the Mississippi (1883). In 1876 he pub. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the first pub. novel composed on a newfangled typewriter (Remington); Tom and his girl Becky Thatcher, and Aunt Polly; Tom tricks Ben, Billy, and Johnny into painting a white picket fence; Injun Joe tries to kill Tom in a cave but is killed instead. In 1881 he pub. The Prince and the Pauper; Tom Conty is the dead ringer of Prince Edward in the 1500s. On Feb. 18, 1886 he pub. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the sequel to "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1876); first pub. in Britain in 1884, then banned from the public library in puritanical Concord, Mass., making it more popular; "Something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read" (Twain); escaped slave "Miss Watson's Jim", Huck's father Pap, Judge Thatcher, and Widow Douglas, who adopts him; at the end Tom's okay and Huck doesn't want to be adopted; Jim is partly inspired by Twain's black friend John Lewis? In 1889 he pub. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; Hank the Yankee is hit with a sledgehammer and wakes up guess where; history is changed by a time traveler's actions?; invents the idea of the electric fence. In 1892 he pub. The American Claimant. In 1894 he pub. Pudd'nhead Wilson; mystery novel about a black slave giving birth to her white massuh's baby and switching him at birth with the master's baby by his white wife, causing the white baby to be raised as black and the mulatto baby to be raised as white; one of the first crime novels to use fingerprints to solve the crime. In 1916 he posth. pub. The Mysterious Stranger.

Horatio Alger Jr. (1832-99)

In 1867 Revere, Mass.-born Harvard-educated Horatio Alger Jr. (1832-99) pub. his first dime novel Ragged Dick, introducing the Horatio Alger Plot, in which a young vagabond works hard and rises from poverty after a wealthy older gent recognizes his worth for saving his son from drowning and gives Richard Hunter a well-paid clerk job; a hit, causing him to write 134 rehashes of the same theme; too bad, it never happens to him personally, and he never gets wealthy?

John William De Forest (1826-1906)

In 1867 Union Civil War vet John William De Forest (1826-1906) pub. Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty; a "realist before realism was named" (William Dean Howells). On Jan. 9, 1868 he pub. an article in The Nation, coining the term "Great American Novel", "the picture of the ordinary emotions and manners of American existence", and claiming that Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" comes closest; he adds "We may be confident that the Great American Poem will not be written, no matter what genius attempts it, until democracy, the idea of our day and nation and race, has agonized and conquered through the centuries, and made its work secure."

George Washington Harris (1814-69)

In 1867 Penn.-born humorist George Washington Harris (1814-69) pub. Sut Lovengood's Yarns, Spun by a Nat'ral Born Durn'd Fool, Warped and Wove for Public Wear, the adventures of an uncouth Tenn. mountaineer.

Bret Harte (1836-1902)

In July 1867 the Overland Monthly is founded in San Francisco, Calif., with Albany, N.Y.-born Francis Bret Harte (1836-1902) as ed., allowing him to pub. his kick-ass short stories of the Am. West, incl. The Luck of Roaring Camp, The Outcasts of Poker Flat, Miggles, Brown of Calaveras, and his comic poem Plain Language from Truthful James (The Heathen Chinese).

Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908)

On June 16, 1868 the Atlanta Constitution newspaper is founded in Atlanta, Ga. (until ?), killing off the Daily Intelligencer in 1871; in 1876 Eatonton, Ga.-born Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908) begins running his Uncle Remus stories in it, featuring Br'er Rabbit and the Tar-Baby; Br'er Rabbit begs Br'er Fox to hang, drown, or skin him, but not fling him into a briar patch; filmed by Disney in 1946 as "Song of the South" starring James Baskett; followed by six sequels, incl. Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings (1880), Nights with Uncle Remus (1883), Uncle Remus and His Friends (1892), Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit (1906). After he dies on July 3, 1908 in Atlanta, Ga. his ocher-colored Queen Anne home Wren's Nest in Atlanta, Ga. is left to the Joel Chandler Harris Assoc., with its bylaws stipulating that it must be run by "100 white ladies", who turn it into a museum in 1913, which bars blacks from entry; in 1967 black Rev. Clyde Williams sues, a federal judge orders it integrated in 1968, and the bylaws are changed in 1973.

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward (1844-1911)

In 1868 Andover, Mass.-born corset-burning feminist-animal rights activist Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward (1844-1911) pub. novel #4 The Gates Ajar, a bestseller (180K copies) depicting Heaven as a domicile in the clouds where families are reunited with their pets and carry on domestic life, becoming the #2 bestselling religious novel of the 19th cent.; followed by the bestsellers "Beyond the Gates" (1883) and "The Gates Between" (1887), completing her Spiritualist Trilogy.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907)

In 1870 Portsmouth, N.H.-born poet Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907) pub. Story of a Bad Boy, about his boyhood experiences in Portsmouth, N.H. In 1873 he pub. Marjory Daw and Other People (short stories). In 1874 he pub. Prudence Palfrey. In 1877 he pub. Queen of Sheba. In 1881-90 he becomes ed. of Atlantic Monthly.

Bayard Taylor (1825-78)

In 1870 Chester County, Penn.-born Bayard Taylor (1825-78) pub. Joseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania, the first gay novel in the U.S.?

Henry James (1843-1916) Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939) Rebecca West (1892-1983)

In 1871 New York City-born realist novelist Henry James Jr. (1843-1916) ("maestro of the semicolon" - Truman Capote) pub. his first novel Watch and Ward, serialized in "The Atlantic Monthly"; Roger Lawrence adopts 12-y.-o. orphan Nora Lambert, and raises her as his bride to be; James later disowns it and calls Roderick Hudson (pub. 1875) his first novel, a bildungsroman serialized in "The Atlantic Monthly". In 1877 he pub. The American. In 1879 he pub. Daisy Miller. In 1880 he pub. Washington Square, based on a story told him by Fanny Kemble. In 1881 he pub. The Portrait of a Lady; Isabel Archer. In 1886 he pub. The Bostonians. In 1895 he debuts his play Guy Domville; after being jeered off the stage on opening night, he goes back to writing novels. In 1896 he pub. Embarrassments. In 1898 he pub. The Turn of the Screw; also The Two Magics. In 1899 he pub. The Awkward Age. In 1902 he pub. The Wings of the Dove; Am. heiress Milly Theale is stricken with a serious disease, causing different people to move in on her, incl. poor Kate Croy and her journalist beau Merton Densher, only to have their success in baiting her to him tear them apart; "We shall never be again as we were!" In 1903 he pub. The Ambassadors; also The Beast in the Jungle. In 1904 he pub. The Golden Bowl. By 1910 he became a legend. In 1913 Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939) pub. Henry James. In 1916 Rebecca West (1892-1983) pub. Henry James, about his importance to the modern novel. In 1915 Ford pub. the novel The Good Soldier. In 1923 he pub. The Marsden Case. In 1924 he pub. Parade's End (vol. 1 of 4). In 1925 he pub. No More Parades. In 1928 he pub. The Last Post.

William Dean Howells (1837-1920)

In 1872 Ohio-born William Dean Howells (1837-1920) pub. his first novel Their Wedding Journey. In 1885 he pub. The Rise of Silas Lapham, about an Am. paint entrepreneur. In 1888 he pub. Annie Kilbum. In 1900 he pub. A Hazard of New Fortunes. In 1914 he pub. Seen and Unseen at Stratford-upon-Avon: A Fantasy. In 1916 he pub. The Leatherwood God.

Edward Payson Roe (1838-88)

Speaking of realism denied. In 1872 N.Y.-born Presbyterian pastor Edward Payson Roe (1838-88) pub. his first novel Barriers Burned Away, which becomes a hit after he coaxes New England Puritans into reading his fiction because of its high moral-religious purpose. In 1873 he pub. What Can She Do? In 1874 he pub. Opening of a Chestnut Burr. In 1875 he pub. From Jest to Earnest. In 1876 he pub. Near to Nature's Heart. In 1877 he pub. A Knight of the Nineteenth Century. In 1878 he pub. A Face Illumined. In 1880 he pub. A Day of Fate. In 1881 he pub. Without a Home. In 1883 he pub. His Sombre Rivals. In 1884 he pub. Nature's Serial Story; also A Young Girl's Wooing. In 1885 he pub. An Original Belle. In 1886 he pub. He Fell in Love with His Wife. In 1887 he pub. The Earth Trembled; also The Home Acre.

Ned Buntline (1823-86)

In Dec. 1872 Ned Buntline (1823-86) debuts the show Scouts of the Prairie in Chicago, starring Buffalo Bill Cody, becoming a big hit; they split next June, closing the popular show, which turns out to be lucky for Cody. In 1877 Buntline pub. the dime novel Buffalo Bill Trails the Devil Head.

Union Gen. Lew Wallace (1827-1905)

Throw realism out the window, it's Jeeezus? In 1873 Brookville, Ind.-born former Union Gen. Lewis "Lew" Wallace (1827-1905) pub. The Fair God, which claims to be a ms. from the time of Cortes written to HRE Charles V. On Nov. 12, 1880 he pub. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Heb. "Ben Hur" = "Son of white linen"), which becomes the bestselling Am. novel until "Gone With the Wind" (1936), and the first work of fiction to be blessed by a pope, Leo XIII; conceived after meetings with famous Am. agnostic Robert G. Ingersoll on a train in 1875, also inspired by Alexandre Dumas pere's "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1846); mainly written in the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, N.M., where he met William Bonney AKA Billy the Kid, its success turns Christian audiences on to theater and film; Judah Ben-Hur, his enemy Messala, Valerius Gratus, his adoptive Roman father Quintus Arrius, his babe Esther, his house servant Simonides, Sheik Ilderim of Antioch, Balthasar and his daughter Iras, Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ, Egyptian maid Amrah.

Edward Eggleston (1837-1902)

In 1874 Vevay, Ind.-born Methodist minister Edward Eggleston (1837-1902) ("the Hoosier Schoolmaster") pub. The Circuit Rider.

Edward Page Mitchell (1852-1927)

In Jan. 1874 Bath, Maine-born Edward Page Mitchell (1852-1927), "the first giant of U.S. science fiction", who beats H.G. Wells to several key sci-fi ideas, and likes to pub. his sci-fi stories in the New York Sun as factual articles pub. The Tachypomp, about faster-than-light travel. In Dec. 1876 he pub. The Soul Spectroscope. In Mar. 1877 he pub. The Man Without a Body, about teleportation; also Exchanging Their Souls, about mind transfer. In May 1879 he pub. The Ablest Man in the World, about a cyborg; also The Senator's Daughter. In 1881 he pub. The Crystal Man, about an invisible man; also The Clock That Went Backward, a time travel story.

Allan Pinkerton of the U.S. (1819-84)

In 1875 famous detective Allan Pinkerton (1819-84) pub. The Expressman and the Detective, becoming one of several detective novels ghost-written for him.

Helen Hunt Jackson (1831-85)

In 1876 Amherst, Mass.-born Helen Maria Hunt Fiske Jackson (1830-85) pub. her first novel Mercy Philbrick's Choice. In 1877 she pub. Hetty's Strange History. In 1881 she pub. A Century of Dishonor, exposing the mistreatment of Native Ams. by the U.S. govt., and pub. the novel Ramona (Sp. "wise guardian"), the first novel about S Calif., dramatizing the plight of Am. Indians, getting her an appointment as special commissioner among the Mission Indians in Calif. in 1882.

Wild Bill Hickock (1837-76) Calamity Jane (1852-1903) Colorado Charley Utter (1838-1904)

Extreme makeover, saloon edition? On Aug. 2, 1876 colorful white long-tressed mustachioed wide-brimmed-hatted white-tied U.S. marshal Wild Bill Hickock (b. 1837), who had been run out of Cheyenne, Wyo., and came to Deadwood this year after the gold rush began with sidekicks Martha "Calamity Jane" Canary (1852-1903) and Colorado Charley Utter (1838-1904) is shot in the back and killed by drifter Jack "Buffalo Curly" McCall (-1877) with a Colt .45 (serial #2079) (five cartridges defective) in Carl Mann's Saloon #10 in Deadwood, Black Hills, Dakota Territory (S.D.) while playing poker; Hickock normally sits with his back to the wall and pours whiskey with his left hand to keep his right hand free, but forgets?; he is alleged to be holding a pair of black aces and a pair of black 8s (along with a 9 of diamonds), which comes to be known as the "dead man's hand"; in his youth Hickock killed McCall's younger brother Andy by hitting him on the head with a hoe; after being acquitted in a "miner's court", McCall is arrested in the territorial capital of Yankton, convicted and hanged; a series of 33 Deadwood Dick dime novels by Philly writer Edward Lytton Wheeler (1854-85) come out in 1877-97, starring him and his wife Calamity Jane (a cross-dressing ho and camp follower who falsely claimed to be an Army Scout?); they die together, leaving their son Deadwood Dick Jr. to carry on their adventures; meanwhile African-Am. Samuel Fields moves to Deadwood, claiming to have been a Civil War Union gen., and becomes a local celeb known as "Nigger General" and "General Darkey", known for looking to make a big strike and calling himself a "sly coon".

Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840-94)

In 1880 Claremont, N.H.-born Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840-94) (grandniece of James Fenimore Cooper) pub. her first novel Anne. In 1883 she pub. For the Major. In 1886 she pub. East Angels. In 1889 she pub. Jupiter Lights. In 1894 she pub. Horace Chase. On Jan. 24, 1894 in Venice, Italy she commits suicide from a window. In 1895 The Front Yard and Other Italian Stories is posth. pub. In 1896 Dorothy and Other Italian Stories is posth. pub.

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908)

In 1881 Eatonton, Ga.-born Atlanta Constitution associate ed. Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908) pub. Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings: The Folk-Lore of the Old Plantation, authentic African-Am. folk tales by the ed. of the Atlanta Constitution, based on stories told him by Uncle George Terrell, Old Harbert, and Aunt Crissy; Br'er Fox builds a Tar-Baby, and Br'er Rabbit punches it and gets stuck; Br'er Bear; filmed by Disney in 1946 as "Song of the South" starring James Baskett; followed by six sequels. After he dies on July 3, 1908 in Atlanta, Ga. his ocher-colored Queen Anne home Wren's Nest in Atlanta, Ga. is left to the Joel Chandler Harris Assoc., with its bylaws stipulating that it must be run by "100 white ladies", who turn it into a museum in 1913, which bars blacks from entry; in 1967 black Rev. Clyde Williams sues, a federal judge orders it integrated in 1968, and the bylaws are changed in 1973.

Frank Richard Stockton (1834-1902)

In 1882 Philly-born humorist Frank Richard Stockton (1834-1902) pub. The Lady, or the Tiger? In 1885 he pub. The Griffin and the Minor Canon. In 1887 he pub. The Bee-Man of Orn.

Edgar Watson Howe (1853-1937)

In 1883 Edgar Watson Howe (1853-1937) pub. his first novel The Story of a Country Town. In 1885 he pub. The Mystery of the Locks. In 1886 he pub. The Moonlight Boy. In 1926 he pub. Sinner Sermons; "A reasonable probability is the only certainty."

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923)

In 1883 after starting the first free kindergarten in San Francisco, Calif. in 1878 and needing money to support it, Philly-born Kate Douglas Wiggin (nee Smith) (1856-1923) pub. her first novel The Story of Patsy, followed by The Birds' Christmas Carol (1887), about 10-y.-o. Carol Bird, who is about to die of TB and plans a Christmas celebration for her poor neighbors the Birds, with nine children; in 1889 Houghton Mifflin repub. both books, becoming bestsellers, launching her writing career. In 1903 she pub. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, about Rebecca Rowena Randall, who goes to live with her two stern aunts in Riverboro, Maine; filmed in 1917, 1932, and 1938.

Thomas Nelson Page (1853-1922)

In 1885 Hanover County, Va.-born Thomas Nelson Page (1853-1922) pub. In Ole Virginia; incl. Marse Chan, Meh Lady. In 1888 he pub. Two Little Confederates. In 1892 he pub. The Old South.

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930)

In 1887 Randolph, Mass.-born Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930) pub. A Humble Romance and Other Stories, about New England life. In 1891 she pub. A New England Nun and Other Stories. In 1893 she pub. her first novel Jane Field. In 1894 she pub. Pembroke. In 1897 she pub. Jerome. In 1900 she pub. The Heart's Highway. In 1908 she pub. The Shoulders of Atlas. In 1918 she pub. Edgewater People.

Edgar Saltus (1855-1921)

In 1887 New York City-born Edgar Evertson Saltus (1855-1921) pub. Mr. Incoul's Misadventure. In 1888 he pub. The Truth About Tristrem Varick; also Eden: An Episode. In 1889 he pub. The Pace That Kills; A Transient Guest and Other Episodes. In 1890 he pub. Love and Lore. In 1891 he pub. Mary Magdalen. In 1894 he pub. Enthralled. In 1900 he pub. Daughters of the Rich. In 1903 he pub. Purple and Fine Women. In 1904 he pub. The Pomps of Satan. In 1905 he pub. The Perfume of Eros: A Fifth Avenue Incident. In 1906 he pub. Vanity Square; also Historia Amoris. In 1907 he pub. The Lords of the Ghostland. In 1912 he pub. The Monster. In 1919 he pub. The Gates of Life; also The Paliser Case. In 1922 he pub. The Ghost Girl (posth.).

Edward Bellamy (1850-98) Francis Julius Bellamy (1855-1931)

In 1888 Chicopee Falls, Mass.-born Baptist minister's son Edward Bellamy (1850-98) (cousin of Francis Bellamy) pub. Looking Backward, 2000-1887, an internat. bestseller about Julian West, who time travels and discovers that the U.S. will become a Military Socialist utopia by you know when, launching the Nationalist movement, which inspires several utopian communities; uses the swastika symbol, later adopted by the Nazis, along with the straight arm salute used for the Pledge of Allegiance by his cousin Francis Bellamy; based on Laurence Gronlund's 1884 "Exposition of Modern Socialism". In Aug. 1892 U.S. Baptist minister's son Francis Julius Bellamy (1855-1931) (a Freemason and Christian Socialist) (cousin of Edward Bellamy) writes the Pledge of Allegiance for the 400th anniv. of Columbus' discovery of White Grab-Bag-Land and to promote the schoolhouse flag movement; it is first pub. on Sept. 8 in The Youth's Companion (circ. 500K); the original version is "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"; he resists the urge to incl. the French Rev. catchword "equality", saying "No, that would be too fanciful, too many thousands of years off in realization"; too bad, he incl. the "Bellamy salute", requiring the arm to be held straight out towards the flag (later adopted by the Nazis), becoming the first U.S. National Socialism?

Belle Starr (1848-89)

On Feb. 3, 1889 Am. outlaw Belle Starr (b. 1848) is killed in an ambush in Briartown, Okla.; 9 mo. for horse theft is her only criminal record? In 1889 Richard K. Fox pub. Belle Starr, the Bandit Queen, or the Female Jesse James, a dime novel pub. in the year of her death, making her a posth. celeb.

George Ade (1866-1944)

In 1890 Kentland, Ind.-born humorist George Ade (1866-1944) pub. Fables in Slang, launching the "contemporary fable" movement.

Kate Chopin (1850-1904)

In 1890 St. Louis, Mo.-born Kate Chopin (Katherine O'Flaherty) (1850-1904) pub. her first novel At Fault. In 1894 she pub. Bayou Folk (short stories). In 1897 she pub. A Night in Acadie (short stories). In 1899 she pub. The Awakening, about a married woman with a dick-dead hubby resorting to adultery, shocking prudish readers.

Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (1831-1901)

In 1890 Philly-born populist politician Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (1831-1901) ("Greatest Failure Who Ever Lived") ("Prince of Cranks") ("Apostle of Discontent") (Sage of Nininger") pub. Caesar's Column under alias Edmund Boisgilbert, about a worker revolt against a global oligarchy, helping found the dystopian sci-fi novel genre. In 1891 he pub. Doctor Huguet: A Novel under the alias Edmund Boisgilbert; a liberal white intellectual is transformed into a poor black man and forced to see what it's like.

Hamlin Garland (1860-1940)

In 1890 West Salem, Wisc.-born Hamlin Garland (1860-1940) ("Son of the Middle Border") pub. the short story collection Main-Traveled Roads, about why U.S. farm life sucks. In 1892 he pub. A Spoil of Office. In 1895 he pub. his first novel Rose of Dutcher's Coolly. In 1902 he pub. The Captain of the Gray-Horse Troop.

Molly Elliot Seawell (1860-1916)

In 1890 Gloucester, Va.-born anti-suffrage novelist Molly Elliot Seawell (1860-1916) (daughter of U.S. Pres. John Tyler's nephew John Tyler Seawell) pub. Little Jarvis.

Robert Underwood Johnson (1853-1937) Frank Nelson Doubleday (1862-1934)

On Mar. 4, 1891 after complaints by British writers Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, Walter Besant, and William Black, the U.S. adopts the U.S. Copyright (Chase) Act, finally upholding internat. copyrights and ending America's status as a copyright pirate haven where only copyrights of U.S. citizens are respected; poet Robert Underwood Johnson (1853-1937), secy. of the Am. Copyright League is instrumental in its passage; the right of authors to bargain for their work causes the advent of U.S. literary agents; too bad, Harper & Bros. pub. house had made its main biz the selling of cheap reprints of foreign authors, and almost goes bankrupt, allowing Frank Nelson Doubleday (1862-1934) (who partnered with Samuel S. McClure of McClure's Mag. in 1897) to take control in 1898, only to bail out when he finds out how bad their books look.

Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915)

In 1891 Baltimore, Md.-born Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915) pub. his first novel Col. Carter of Cartersville, becoming known for positive portrayals of the Old South. In 1892 he pub. A Day at La Guerr's and Other Days. In 1895 he pub. A Gentleman Vagabond. In 1896 he pub. the bestseller Tom Grogan. In 1898 he pub. Caleb West, Master-Driver. In 1898 he pub. The Other Fellow. In 1902 he pub. The Fortunes of Oliver Horn. In 1904 he pub. Col. Carter's Christmas. In 1905 he pub. At Close Range. In 1906 he pub. The Tides of Barnegat. In 1907 he pub. The Veiled Lady; also The Romance of an Old Fashioned Gentleman. In 1908 he pub. Peter. In 1909 he pub. Forty Minutes and Other Stories.

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

In 1892 Dayton, Ohio-born Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1926), who wrote his first poem at age 6 and gave his first recital at age 12 pub. his debut vol. of poetry Oak and Ivy (Lyrics of a Lowly Life), which he self-pub. while working as an elevator boy at the Callahan Bldg. in Dayton, Ohio; Teddy Roosevelt later presents him with a ceremonial sword. In 1898 he pub. his first novel The Uncalled. In 1900 he pub. The Strength of Gideon. In 1902 he pub. The Sport of the Gods. His birthplace Dunbar House at 219 N. Paul Laurence Dunbar St. in Dayton, Ohio becomes a shrine (don't miss the ceremonial sword presented to him by Teddy Roosevelt?).

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1842-1924)

In 1892 Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) pub. Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted, becoming the 2nd novel by a black woman pub. in the U.S.

In 1892 W.H. Mallock pub. A Human Document; in 1966 Tom Phillips randomly selects it as the basis for A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel, painting and drawing over the text, revealing new text strings linked by white lines; "a bag lady his muse/And sex with a capital f his search/he himself rated success in flesh to include dogs, rain, rope, and also a certain condition of Asiatic elation”.

e.e. cummings (1894-1962) F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) John Dos Passos (1896-1970) William Faulkner (1897-1962) Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) Hart Crane (1899-1932) Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900-38) Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989)

The 2nd Am. Lit. Renaissance (first in the 1850s) is launched by writers born between 1894-1900, incl. e.e. cummings (1894-1962), F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), John Dos Passos (1896-1970), William Faulkner (1897-1962), Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), Hart Crane (1899-1932), and Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900-38), according to Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989) in A Second Flowering: Works and Days of the Lost Generation (1973).

John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912)

In 1894 millionaire John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912) pub. his only novel A Journey in Other Worlds before going down on the Titanic.

Robert William Chambers (1865-1933)

In 1894 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Robert William Chambers (1865-1935) pub. his first novel In the Quarter. In 1895 he pub. The King in Yellow (short stories); a drama who drives those who read it insane. In 1896 he pub. The Maker of Moons; also The Mystery of Choice. In 1897 he pub. Lorraine. In 1898 he pub. Ashes of Empire. In 1901 he pub. Cardigan. In 1904 he pub. In Search of the Unknown. In 1905 he pub. The Reckoning. In 1906 he pub. The Tracer of Lost Persons. In 1907 he pub. The Tree of Heaven; also The Green Mouse. In 1911 he pub. The Common Law. In 1912 he pub. Blue-Bird Weather; illustrated by Charles Dana Gibson. In 1913 he pub. The Gay Rebellion. In 1914 he pub. Quick Action. In 1915 he pub. Athalie; Who Goes There!; Police!!! In 1916 he pub. The Girl Philippa. In 1920 he pub. The Slayer of Souls. In 1922 he pub. The Flaming Jewel. In 1923 he pub. The Talkers.

Frank Harris (1856-1931)

In 1894 Galway, Ireland-born Frank Harris (1854-1931 pub. Elder Conklin (short stories). In 1900 he pub. Montes the Matador (short stories). In 1908 he pub. The Bomb, about the 1886 Chicago Haymarket Square Riot. In 1914 he pub. The Yellow Ticket and Other Stories (short stories).

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

In 1895 Newark, N.J.-born Stephen Crane (1871-1900) pub. The Red Badge of Courage, a realistic novel about Pvt. Henry Fleming in the U.S. Civil War, who flees the battle and longs for a wound; Crane had never been to war personally; censored passages are restored in 1982.

Brander Matthews (1852-1929)

In 1895 New Orleans, La.-born James Brander Matthews (1852-1929) pub. His Father's Son.

Abraham Cahan (1860-1951)

In 1896 Lithuanian-born Abraham Cahan (1860-1951) pub. his first novel Yekl: A Tale of the New York Ghetto; turned into the 1975 film "Hester Street". In 1898 he pub. The Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories. In 1917 he pub. The Rise of David Levinsky.

Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945)

In 1897 Richmond, Va.-born Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945) pub. her first novel The Descendant. From an aristocratic Southern family, she tries to deconstruct the genteel idealization of the antebellum South. In 1902 she pub. The Battle-Ground. In 1913 she pub. Virginia. In 1916 she pub. Life and Gabriella. In 1925 she pub. Barren Ground. In 1932 she pub. The Sheltered Life. In 1935 she pub. Vein of Iron. In 1941 she pub. her last novel In This Our Life, which wins a Pulitzer Prize.

Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914)

In 1897 Philly-born Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914) pub. Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker. In 1898 he pub. The Adventures of Francois. In 1909 he pub. The Red City.

Mary Johnston (1870-1936)

In 1898 Buchanan, Va.-born Mary Johnston (1870-1936) pub. her first novel Prisoners of Hope, about colonial Va. In 1900 she pub. To Have and To Hold; colonial times in Va.; #1 U.S. bestseller of 1900. In 1902 she pub. Audrey. In 1903 she pub. Pioneers of the Old South. In 1904 she pub. Sir Mortimer. In 1908 she pub. Lewis Rand. In 1911 she pub. The Long Roll; Confed. artillery officer Richard Cleave and Gen. Stonewall Jackson kick Yankee butt from Manassas to Sharpsburg. In 1912 she pub. Cease Firing; sequel to "The Long Roll"; rebel artillery officer Richard Cleve watches the cause go downhill. In 1913 she pub. Hagar. In 1914 she pub. The Witch; illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. In 1915 she pub. The Fortunes of Grain. In 1917 she pub. The Wanderers. In 1918 she pub. Foes. In 1919 she pub. Michael Forth. In 1920 she pub. Sweet Rocket. In 1921 she pub. Silver Cross. In 1922 she pub. 1492. In 1926 she pub. The Great Valley. In 1927 she pub. The Exile. In 1932 she pub. Miss Delicia Allen.

John Luther Long (1861-1927)

In 1898 Hanover, Penn.-born John Luther Long (1861-1927) pub. the short story Madame Butterfly, which is turned into a play in 1900 by David Belasco (1853-1931) and into an opera in 1904 by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). In 1900 he pub. The Fox-Woman. In 1906 he pub. The Way of the Gods. In 1912 he pub. Baby Grand.

Charles Major (1856-1913)

In 1898 Indianapolis, Ind.-born Charles Major (1856-1913) pub. his first novel When Knighthood Was in Flower, a bestselling romance about Henry VIII's England. In 1902 he pub. Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall; bestselling romance set in Elizabethan times. In 1903 he pub. A Forest Hearth. In 1905 he pub. Yolanda. In 1908 he pub. Uncle Tom Andy Bill. In 1909 he pub. A Gentle Knight of Old Brandenburg, about Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia and Margravine, consort of Margrave Frederick of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. In 1910 he pub. The Little King: A Story of the Childhood of King Louis XIV. In 1911 he pub. Sweet Alyssum. In 1912 he pub. The Touchstone of Fortune. In 1925 he pub. Rosalie (posth.).

Morgan Robertson (1861-1915)

In 1898 Morgan Robertson (1861-1915) pub. Futility, about ocean liner Titan, which hits an iceberg on a calm Apr. night en route to New York City, after which many die for lack of lifeboats. In 1905 he pub. The Submarine Destroyer; describes his invention of the periscope, which he sells to the Holland Submarine Co. for $50K. In 1914 he pub. Beyond the Spectrum, about a future war between the U.S. and Japan where the sneaky Bushido Code Japs surprise-attack San Francisco, but are stopped by the A-bomb-like ultraviolet searchlight; predicts WWII and the A-bomb?

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

In 1899 Meigs County, Ohio-born humorist Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (1842-1914) pub. Fantastic Fables. In 1906 he pub. The Cynic's Word Book; repub. in 1911 as The Devil's Dictionary; "Bigot, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain"; "Koran, n. A book which the Mohammedans foolishly believe to have been written by divine inspiration, but which Christians know to be a wicked imposture, contradictory to the Holy Scriptures"; "Russian, n. A person with a Caucasian body and a Mongolian soul. A Tartar Emetic"; "History, n. An account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools."

Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932)

In 1899 Cleveland, Ohio-born Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932) (son of freed slaves who passes for white, although the one Drop Theory forever labels him as black) pub. The Conjure Woman, and Other Conjure Tales. In 1900 he pub. The House Behind the Cedars. In 1901 he pub. The Marrow of Tradition, about the Wilmington Race Riot; pisses-off his mainly white readers with its preaching about racism, not knowing that he doesn't consider himself white? In 1905 he pub. The Colonel's Dream.

Margaret Deland (1857-1924)

In 1899 Margaret Deland (1857-1945) pub. Old Chester Tales. In 1915 she pub. Around Old Chester.

Josiah Flynt (1869-1907)

In 1899 Josiah Flynt (1869-1907) pub. Tramping with Tramps, based on his own experience. In 1900 he and Francis Walton pub. The Powers That Prey. In 1901 he pub. The World of Graft (short stories). In 1902 he pub. The Little Brother.

Frank Norris (1870-1902) Charles Gilman Norris (1881-1945) Kathleen Norris (1880-1966)

In 1899 Chicago, Ill.-born Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Norris Jr.(1870-1902) pub. McTeague, about a tragedy caused by greed. In 1900 he pub. Blix, a semi-autobio. love story; also A Man's Woman, a tale of arctic exploration. In 190s he pub. The Octopus: A Story of California; wheat farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are preyed on by the Pacific and Southwestern Railroad; first in an uncompleted trilogy. In 1903 he pub. The Pit, #2 in the wheat trilogy (#3 is never written). In 1914 Vandover and the Brute is pub. posth., a story of degeneration. In 1921 Frank Norris' brother Charles Gilman Norris (1881-1945) pub. Brass: A Novel of Marriage. In 1923 he pub. Bread. In 1925 he pub. Pig Iron. In 1930 he pub. Seed: A Novel of Birth Control. In 1933 he pub. Zest. In 1935 he pub. Hands. In 1938 he pub. Brick Without Straw. In 1941 he pub. The Venables. In 1944 he pub. Flint. In 1911 Charles Gilman Norris' wife (since 1909) Kathleen Thompson Norris (nee Thompson) (1880-1966) pub. her first novel Mother; a woman sets out to find a career in the big city then decides that the greatest woman she's ever known is guess who, and longs to be a you know what; big hit with you guessed it, keeping them from having careers in the big cities? In Aug. 1914 she pub. Saturday's Child. In 1915 she pub. The Story of Julia Page. In 1919 she pub. Sisters. In 1922 she pub. Certain People of Importance. In 1932 she pub. Second Hand Wife. In 1938 she pub. Heartbroken Melody. In 1941 she pub. The Venables. In 1943 she pub. Corner of Heaven. In 1947 she pub. The Secret of Hillyard House. In 1952 she pub. Shadow Marriage. In 1955 she pub. Miss Harriet Townshend. In 1957 she pub. Through a Glass Darkly.

Edward Noyes Westcott (1846-98)

In 1899 Edward Noyes Westcott (1846-98) posth. pub. the bestseller David Harum: A Story of American Life.

Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) William Wallace Denslow (1856-1915) Russel Blaine Nye (1913-93) Martin Gardner (1914-2010)

In 1900 Chittenango, N.Y.-born Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) pub. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; illustrations by William Wallace Denslow (1856-1915); named after Baum's file drawer labeled "O-Z"; based on a cyclone he witnessed in 1890 in Aberdeen, S.D.; "Dorothy [Gale] lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies" with Uncle Henry, Aunt Em, and her dog Toto ("He was not gray; he was a little black dog with silky hair"), meets Prof. Marvel (Wizard) and Miss Gulch (Wicked Witch), then is swept up in a tornado into the Land of Oz, killing the Wicked Witch of the East Locasta with her house in Munchkinland, after which she meets the Good Witch of the North Glinda, hooks up with Scarecrow (Hunk), Cowardly Lion (Zeke), and Tin Woodman Niccolo Chopper (Hickory), visits the Emerald City via the Yellow Brick Road, has all kinds of adventures, and returns via the silver (not ruby) slippers; Ch. 8: "The Deadly Poppy Field"; "The road to the city of emeralds is paved with yellow brick"; actually, it's only the 1939 film starring Judy Garland that makes the people in Kansas turn into the chars. in Oz, but who cares, it's the greatest fantasy flick of all time? In 1906 he pub. John Dough and the Cherub. On Nov. 3, 1956 CBS-TV airs the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time, becoming an annual Thanksgiving tradition - gee it's good to be in safe Muslim-free Kansas? In 1957 the dir. of the Detroit Public Library claims that the Oz stories have no value, causing Russel Blaine Nye (1913-93) and Martin Gardner (1914-2010) to pub. The Wizard of Oz and Who He Was (1957), proving otherwise, generating a firestorm of controversy.

Gelett Burgess (1866-1951)

In 1900 Boston, Mass.-born Frank Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) pub. Goops, and How to Be Them. In 1901 he pub. Burgess Nonsense Book; incl. Purple Cow. In 1942 he pub. Ladies in Boxes.

Theodore Dreiser (1874-1945)

In 1900 Terre Haute, Ind.-born Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (1874-1945) pub. Sister Carrie, about Caroline Meeber; the first ed. sells only 500 copies. On July 11, 1906 a young man named Chester E. Gillette (-1908) drowns Grace Brown in a lake in Herkimer County, N.Y.; he is electrocuted on Mar. 20, 1908, and later immortalized in Theodore Dreiser's 1925 long-but-good novel An American Tragedy, which tries to palm it off as a perfect storm of accident and self-incrimination. In 1915 he pub. The Genius; Eugene Witla; suppressed by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice for amorality until 1923. In 1925 he pub. An American Tragedy, which fictionalizes the 1906 Chester E. Gillette murder case, making it look like he framed himself in a long but beautifully-done novel. In 1931 he pub. Tragic America.

Minna Thomas Antrim (1856-1950)

In 1901 Minna Thomas Antrim (1856-1950) pub. Naked Truth and Veiled Allusions.

Harold MacGrath (1871-1932)

In 1901 Syracuse, N.Y.-born Harold MacGrath (1871-1932) pub. The Puppet Crown.

George Barr McCutcheon (1866-1928)

In 1901 George Barr McCutcheon (1866-1928) pub. Graustark: The Story of a Love Behind the Throne, a bestseller about an 800 sq. mi. mountainous principality in the Carpathian Mts. of E Europe, S of Axphain (enemy) and N of Dawsbergen, capital Edelweiss, with gavvo as the unit of currency, where Princess Yetive, daughter of Prince Ganlook tries to marry Prince Lorenz of Axphain to get better terms for payment of a large indemnity contracted after the last war, but he is murdered, and her real beau, Grenfall Lorry of the U.S. is framed, until Prince Gabriel of Dawsbergen is found out. In 1904 he pub. Beverly of Graustark. In 1909 he pub. Truxton King. In 1914 he pub. The Prince of Graustark. In 1924 he pub. East of the Setting Sun. In 1927 he pub. The Inn of the Hawk and Raven.

Owen Wister (1860-1938)

In 1902 Philly-born Owen Wister (1860-1938) pub. the bestseller The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, about a cattle ranch in Wyo., becoming the first Western novel; filmed in 1914, 1923, 1929, 1946, 2000, and 2014, and made into a TV series in 1962-71. In 1903 he pub. Philosophy 4, about his college days at Harvard U. In 1906 he pub. Lady Baltimore.

Harold Bell Wright (1872-1944)

In 1902 Rome, N.Y.-born Christian pastor (in Pittsburg, Kan.) Harold Bell Wright (1872-1944) pub. That Printer of Udell's. In 1907 he pub. The Shepherd of the Hills; set in Branson, Mo.; bestseller, making Branson a tourist stop, launching his phenomenal career selling lit. junk to millions, becoming the first U.S. writer to sell 1M copies of a novel and make $1M from writing fiction, the best-selling Am. author until Earl Stanley Gardner. In 1909 he pub. The Calling of Dan Matthews; a young preacher resigns in order to retain his integrity; pisses-off pastors all across the U.S., causing Alexander Corkey to pub. a novel countering him in 1910. In 1910 he pub. The Uncrowned King. In 1911 he pub. The Winning of Barbara Worth; bestseller about the reclamation of the desert in Imperial County, Calif. (E part of San Diego County). In 1912 he pub. Their Yesterdays. In 1914 he pub. The Eyes of the World. In 1916 he pub. When a Man's a Man. In 1919 he pub. The Re-Creation of Brian Kent. In 1921 he pub. Helen of the Old House. In 1923 he pub. The Mine with the Iron Door. In 1926 he pub. A Son of His Father. In 1927 he pub. God and the Groceryman. In 1929 he pub. Long Ago Told: Legends of the Papago Indians. In 1930 he pub. Exit. In 1932 he pub. The Devil's Highway; also Ma Cinderella. In 1934 he pub. To My Sons. In 1942 he pub. The Man Who Went Away. On May 24, 1944 he dies in La Jolla, Calif. of pneumonia. "Harold Bell Wright supplied more negative data on the literary quality of the taste of the fiction reading public than any other author. No critic has ever damned Wright with even the faintest praise." (Irvin Harlow Hart)

Jack London (1876-1916)

In 1903 San Francisco, Calif.-born John Griffith "Jack" London (nee John Griffith Chaney) (1876-1916) pub. The Call of the Wild; 140 lb. St. Bernard and Scottish shepherd Buck goes from tame to savage after Judge Miller's gardener's helper Manuel kidnaps him to pay gambling debts; makes tiny Skagway (Tlingit "windy place with white caps on the water") (founded 1900) in the Alaska Panhandle famous; "Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing, not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. Because men, groping in the Arctic darkness, had found a yellow metal, and because steamship and transportation companies were booming the find, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost." In 1904 he pub. The Sea-Wolf; Capt. Wolf Larsen of The Ghost. In 1906 he pub. White Fang, sequel to "The Call of the Wild"; his parents are Kiche and One-Eyed; Beauty Smith trains him to become a dog fighter. In 1906 he begins living in his made-to-order yacht Snark, sailing the high seas until 1908. In 1908 he visits Hawaii with his wife Charmian on their yacht Snark, incl. Pearl Harbor, Ewa Plantation, Haleakala, Kailua-Kona, Hilo, and Molokai, introducing Americans to surfing, after which his checks bounce; they return in 1915 for 10 mo., giving a speech at a banquet with Queen Liliuokalani, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, and Duke Kahanamoku, advocating restriction of immigration. In Sept. 1909 he pub. Martin Eden; a young proletarian autodidact struggles to become a writer. In 1915 he pub. The Star-Rover, about reincarnation. On Nov. 22, 1916 he dies in Glen Ellen, Calif. (OD); his widow Charmain overrules his doctor's judgment that his death is a suicide caused by an OD of morphine and atropine, and instead gets the cause listed as uremia; there is no autopsy, and the body is cremated; leaves the unfinished novel The Assassination Bureau, based on an idea he purchased from Sinclair Lewis.

Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924)

In 1903 Wabash County, Ind.-born Gene Stratton-Porter (Geneva Grace Stratton) (1863-1924) pub. her first novel The Song of the Cardinal. In 1904 she pub. Freckles; an 19-y.-o. orphan guards timber in the shrinking Limberlost Swamp in NW Ind.; followed by "A Girl of the Limberlost" (1909). In 1907 she pub. At the Foot of the Rainbow. In Aug. 1909 she pub. A Girl of the Limberlost; Elnora Comstock and the ever-shrinking Limberlost Swamp in NW Ind.; filmed in 1924, 1934, 1945, and 1990. In 1911 she pub. The Harvester. In 1913 she pub. Laddie. In 1915 she pub. Michael O'Halloran. In 1918 she pub. A Daughter of the Land. In 1921 she pub. Her Father's Daughter. In 1923 she pub. The White Flag. In 1925 she pub. The Keeper of the Bees. In 1927 she pub. The Magic Garden. She goes on to sell 10M copies.

James Branch Cabell (1879-1958)

In 1904 Richmond, Va.-born James Branch Cabell (1879-1958) pub. The Eagle's Shadow. In 1913 he pub. The Soul of Melicent (Domnei), introducing the medieval land of Poictesme. In 1917 he pub. The Cream of the Jest. In 1919 he pub. Beyond Life; also Jurgen; an attempt to suppress it for immorality makes it more popular? In 1921 he pub. Figures of Earth, about swineherd Manual, of divine birth, who rises to become a legendary ruler in a medieval world. In 1923 he pub. The High Place. In 1930 he pub. Some of Us. In 1934 he pub. Ladies and Gentlemen. In 1942 he pub. The First Gentlemen of America. In 1947 he pub. Let Me Lie. In 1949 he pub. The Devil's Own Dear Son. In 1952 he pub. Quiet Please.

O. Henry (1862-1910)

In 1904 Greensboro, N.C.-born O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) (1862-1910) (who was imprisoned in 1898-1902 for embezzlement as a bank teller in Austin, Tex. before settling in New York City) (O. Henry comes from "Ohio" and "Penitentiary"?) pub. the short story collection Cabbages and Kings. In 1906 he pub. the collection The Four Million, which incl. The Gift of the Magi, containing the lines: "One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And 60 cents of it was in pennies" (2-cent and 3-cent coins are still in circulation). In 1907 he pub. the collection The Trimmed Lamp. In 1908 he pub. the collection The Gentle Grafter. In 1910 he pub. the collection Whirligigs. In 1911 the collection Sixes and Sevens is pub. posth.

Robert Herrick (1868-1938)

In 1904 Cambridge, Mass.-born Robert Herrick (1868-1938) pub. The Common Lot.

Louis Joseph Vance (1879-1933)

In 1904 Washington, D.C.-born Louis Joseph Vance (1879-1933) pub. Terence O'Rourke. In 1914 he pub. The Lone Wolf; introduces Michael Lanyard.

In 1904 the Am. Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City is founded by the Nat. Inst. of Arts and Letters as an honorary assoc. with a membership limit of 50 (later 250), granted for noteworthy achievement a la the Academie Francaise; the first seven members incl. writers Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), William Dean Howells, Edmund Clarence Stedman, and John Hay, artists Augustus Saint-Gaudens and John La Farge, and composer Edward Alexander MacDowell; too bad, MacDowell is run over by a Hansom cab, and ends up with brain damage making him childlike until his death in 1908, causing former U.S. pres. Grover Cleveland et al. to raise funds for his care.

Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) Nick Kotz (1932-)

In Feb. 1905 the Socialist weekly Appeal to Reason begins pub. a serial novel by Baltimore, Md.-born Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (1878-1968) of Baltimore, Md. titled The Jungle, which was commissioned after the failed 1904 Chicago stockyard strike and written after a 7-week visit. On Feb. 26, 1906 Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle" is pub., leading to the quick (4 mo.) passage of the U.S. Pure Food and Drugs (Wiley Act), signed on June 30 along with the U.S. Meat Inspection Act, prohibiting sale of adulterated foods or drugs, and mandating honest statements of contents on labels; it greatly curbs the use of patent medicines, many of which had been loaded with opium and other addictive drugs; the tobacco lobby keeps nicotine out of the list of regulated drugs; really wanting his book to cause Socialism to happen in the U.S., disappointed Sinclair utters the soundbyte "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach." On Feb. 26, 1906 he pub. The Jungle; Lithuanian immigrants Jurgis and Ona Rudkus in Packingtown (Chicago's Back-of-the-Yards); Jurgis earns 17.5 cents an hour as a "shoveler of guts", in the unsanitary and hazardous Chicago meatpacking industry, where delicious breakfast sausage is made from cows and hogs with TB and cholera, rat droppings, floor sweepings, and the occasional Lithuanian rendered into lard; not only the plant but the city, the state and the entire world are a jungle, where "nothing counted but brutal might"; "Now & then a visitor wept, to be sure; but this slaughtering machine ran on, visitors or no"; Jurgis loses his wife and son, becomes a tramp, pulls up a farmer's peach trees after being refused food, and becomes a Socialist; final words: "CHICAGO WILL BE OURS!"; "sub-literary belligerence". In 1917 he pub. King Coal, which tries to repeat "The Jungle" with the coal industry. In 1919 he pub. Jimmie Higgins. In 1920 he pub. 100 Percent, the Story of a Patriot. In 1927 he pub. Oil! In 1928 he pub. Boston. In 1932 he pub. American Outpost. In 1934 he almost wins the governorship of Calif. as a Dem. In 1936 he pub. Co-Op; In 1940 he pub. World's End; first of 11 Lanny Budd novels (1940-53) telling the history of the 20th cent. In 1941 he pub. Between Two Worlds; Lanny Budd #2; covers 1919-29. In 1942 he pub. Dragon's Teeth, which wins a Pulitzer Prize; Lanny Budd #3. On Dec. 15, 1967 Pres. Johnson signs the U.S. Wholesale Meat Act in the presence of old muckraker Upton Sinclair (1878-1968), famed author of The Jungle (1906), which was passed after a fresh muckraking report by Des Mones Register reporter Nathan K. "Nick" Kotz (1932-) on unsanitary conditions in meat-packing plants.

Edith Wharton (1862-1937)

In 1905 New York City-born Edith Newbold Wharton (nee Jones) (1862-1937) pub. The House of Mirth. In 1911 she pub. Ethan Frome, written originally in French; a farmer falls in love with his wife Zeena's cousin Mattie Silver in Starkfield, Mass., and they decide to commit mutual suicide but botch it, ending up as invalids taken care of by Zeena. In 1920 she pub. The Age of Innocence (Pulitzer Prize) (first female to win for fiction); Newland Archer falls for Ellen Olenska in 1870s New York society.

Thomas William Lawson (1857-1925)

In 1907 Charlestown, Mass.-born copper baron Thomas William Lawson (1857-1925) pub. Friday the Thirteenth, about a deliberate Wall St. panic on Friday the 13th; after the 7-masted schooner Thomas W. Lawson (built 1902) (largest schooner and sailing ship ever built) wrecks off uninhabited Annet Island in the Scilly Iles on Feb. 13, 1907, it helps popularize the superstition that the day is unlucky, which up till now wasn't very well known?; just a coincidence that the original Friday the 13th (arrest of the Knights Templar) was in 1307?

Clarence Edward Mulford (1883-1956)

In 1907 Streator, Ill.-born Clarence Edward Mulford (1883-1956) pub. Hopalong Cassidy: Bar 20, which introduces wooden-legged sarsaparilla-drinking Bill "Hopalong" "Hoppy" Cassidy (clad in black incl. his hat), his white horse Topper, and his sidekick Windy Halliday, who rescue damsels in distress et al. in the Wild West; first of a series of 28 (ends 1941); turned into a 66-film movie series starring William Boyd in 1935 (ends 1948).

Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958)

In 1907 Allegheny City, Penn.-born Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958) pub. The Circular Staircase. In 1910 she pub. The Window at the White Cat. In 1912 she pub. When There's a Will; The Cave on Thundercloud; Mind Over Motor. In 1913 she pub. The Case of Jennie Brice. In 1914 she pub. Street of Seven Stars; also The After House: A Story of Love, Mystery and a Private Yacht. In 1915 she pub. K. In 1916 she pub. Bab, a Sub-Deb. In 1917 she pub. Long Live the King!. In 1918 she pub. The Amazing Interlude; also Tenting To-Night. In 1919 she pub. Dangerous Days; also Salvage. In 1922 she pub. The Breaking Point. In 1925 she pub. The Red Lamp; also The Mystery Lamp. In 1928 she pub. Two Flights Up. In 1929 she pub. The Truce of God. In 1930 she pub. The Door; starts the cliche "the butler did it"? In 1932 she pub. The Double Alibi. In 1933 she pub. The Album; also The State vs. Elinor Norton. In 1938 she pub. The Wall. In 1940 she pub. The Great Mistake. In 1945 she pub. The Yellow Room. In 1952 she pub. The Swimming Pool; also The Wandering Knife. In 1953 she pub. The Frightened Wife.

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) and Alice B. Toklas (1877-1967)

On Sept. 7, 1907 San Francisco, Calif.-born ticklish lesbian feminist Alice Babette Toklas (1877-1967) meets Allegheny, Penn.-born Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) in Paris on the first day she arrives, and they become lovers, moving in together and hosting a salon at 27 Rue de Fleurus for Am. expatriate writers incl. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941), Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), and Paul Bowles (1910-99), and avant-garde artists incl. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Henri Matisse (1869-1954), and Georges Braque (1882-1963) - B as in bi? In 1908 Stein pub. Three Lives. On Mar. 7, 1967 Toklas dies in Paris in poverty after converting to Roman Catholicism and asking the priest if she will meet her lover Gertrude Stein in heaven - they do that lezzie thing up there too?

Susan Glaspell (1876-1948)

In 1909 Davenport, Iowa-born Susan Keating Glaspell (1882-1948) pub. The Glory of the Conquered: The Story of a Great Love. In 1928 she pub. Brooks Evans. In 1930 she pub. Alison's House (Pulitzer Prize). In 1931 she pub. Ambrose Holt and Family. In 1945 she pub. Judd Rankin's Daughter.

Grace Miller White (1868-1957)

In 1909 Ithaca, N.Y.-born Grace Miller White (1868-1957) pub. Tess of the Storm Country, which becomes a hit, getting filmed in 1914 starring Mary Pickford. In 1917 she pub. the sequel The Secret of the Storm Country, followed in 1920 by Storm Country Polly (w/Frank Tenney Johnson).

Zane Grey (1872-1939)

In 1910 Zanesville, Ohio-born former dentist Zane Grey (1872-1939) pub. Heritage of the Desert. In 1912 he pub. Riders of the Purple Sage - sounds good enough to eat? In 1920 he pub. the bestseller The Man of the Forest. In 1925 he pub. The Vanishing American, about Indian male Nophaie ("warrior") (Lo Blandy) and white female Marian Warner, who fall in love on his SW Am. Rez; "It is infinitely easier for an Indian to love a white woman than for her to love him. I don't know why"; also The Thundering Herd.

Jacob August Riis (1849-1914)

In 1910 Denmark-born muckraking journalist Jacob August Riis (1849-1914) pub. Hero Tales of the Far North.

Edna Ferber (1885-1968) Edna Ferber (1885-1968)

In 1911 Kalamazoo, Mich.-born Edna Ferber (1885-1968) pub. her first novel Dawn O'Hara: The Girl Who Laughed; "Being an old maid was a great deal like death by drowning - a really delightful sensation when you ceased struggling." In 1917 she pub. Fanny Herself, about a a young Jewish girl (her?) in a small midwestern town. In 1924 she pub. the bestseller So Big (Pulitzer Prize), inspired by Antje Paarlberg of the Dutch community in South Holland (near Chicago), Ill., about Selina Peake De Jong, who marries farmer Pervus and has Dirk, nicknamed you know what, who grows up to be a stockbroker instead of an architect, alienating his artist babe Dallas O'Mara, who leaves him for famous sculptor Roelf Pool. In 1926 she pub. Show Boat. In 1929 she pub. the beseller Cimarron, about Wichita, Kan. newspaperman Yancy and his wife Sabra Cravat, who head to Okla. during the 1893 Okla. Land Rush and print the Okla. Wigwam until he deserts her; filmed in 1931. In 1952 she pub. Giant, about the Benedict Tex. ranching family from the 1920s through the 1940s; filmed in 1956. In 1958 she pub. The Ice Palace, which helps the Alaskan statehood effort; filmed in 1960.

Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967)

In 1911 Hugo Gernsback (1884-1967) pub. the article Ralph 124C41+ in Modern Electrics mag., which coins the term "science fiction" (sci-fi).

Vaughan Kester (1869-1911)

In 1911 New Brunswick, N.J.-born Vaughan Kester (1869-1911) pub. The Prodigal Judge, followed in 1912 by The Just and the Unjust (posth.), and in 1913 by The Hand of the Mighty (posth.).

James Oppenheim (1882-1932)

In 1911 St. Paul, Minn.-born James Oppenheim (1882-1932) pub. The Nine-Tenths. In 1912 he pub. When There's a Will; also The Cave on Thundercloud; also Mind Over Motor. In 1914 he pub. Idle Wives. In 1915 he pub. The Beloved. In 1919 he pub. The Solitary. In 1924 he pub. The Sea.

Col. Edward Mandell House of the U.S. (1858-1938)

In 1911 Houston, Tex.-born Col. Edward Mandell House (Huis) (1858-1938) pub. Philip Dru, Administrator; a demagogue leads the Wild West against the plutocratic East, becomes dictator of the U.S., imposes the Bull Moose Platform of 1912, then vanishes.

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950)

In 1912 Chicago, Ill.-born Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) pub. Tarzan of the Apes, about a boy adopted by African gorillas Kala and Kerchak; "He could spring twenty feet across space at the dizzy heights of the forest top, and grasp with unerring precision, and without apparent jar, a limb waving wildly in the path of an approaching tornado. He could drop twenty feet at a stretch from limb to limb in rapid descent to the ground, or he could gain the utmost pinnacle of the loftiest tropical giant with the ease and swiftness of a squirrel. Though but 10 years old, he was fully as strong as the avg. man of thirty... And day by day his strength was increasing." In 1917 he pub. The Son of Tarzan; after he mates with Jane. In 1918 he pub. The Gods of Mars. In 1922 he pub. The Chessmen of Mars; features the chess variant called Jetan. In 1934 he pub. Pirates of Venus. In 1938 he pub. Tarzan and the Forbidden City. In 1939 he pub. Tarzan the Magnificent. In 1944 he pub. The Land of Terror. In 1948 he pub. Llana of Gathol. On Mar. 19, 1950 he dies in Tarzana, Calif.; his ashes are buried on Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana outside his office.

Willa Cather (1873-1947)

In 1912 39-y.-o. Winchester, Va.-born Red Cloud, Neb.-raised Willa (Wilella) Silbert Cather (1873-1947) takes a leave of absence from "White Man's Burden" McClure's mag. to write novels, leaves New York City to visit her childhood home of Red Cloud, Neb., finds it changed, then goes on to visit Winslow, Ariz. and other places in Ariz. and New Mexico, then returns to New York City and moves in with Edith Lewis (1882-1972) at 5 Bank St., staying with her for 35 years. In 1912 she pub. her first novel Alexander's Bridge, which is a flop. In 1913 she pub. O Pioneers!, which is a hit; title taken from Walt Whitman; Red Cloud, Neb. becomes Hanover. In 1918 she pub. My Antonia; "Here's Jim's story"; based on the true story of Annie Pavelika (Sadilek), who moves with her family from Bohemia to Nebraska in 1880 and lives through a miserable winter in a dugout. In 1922 she pub. One Of Ours, which is a critical failure, Hemingway claiming she got her WWI scenes from movies, but it becomes her first bestseller and wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1925 she pub. The Professor's House; Prof. Godfrey St. Peter writes eight historical novels, then realizes his life's purpose is over and makes peace with death. In 1927 she pub. Death Comes for the Archbishop; based on French Roman Catholic archbishop (1875-88) Jean-Baptiste Lamy (1814-88) of Santa Fe, who arrived in 1851; his Indian guide is Jacinto; Father Martinez of Taos is the bad guy. In 1931 she pub. Shadows on the Rock, about 17th cent. Quebec in the time of bishop Francois Xavier de Laval-Montmorency.

Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933)

In 1913 Warren, Ohio-born Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933) pub. his first novel Seven Keys to Baldpate. In 1914 he pub. Love Insurance. In 1915 he pub. Inside the Lines. In 1916 he pub. The Agony Column (Second Floor Mystery). In 1925 he pub. The House Without a Key, introducing Chinese-Am. detective Charlie Chan. In 1926 he pub. The Chinese Parrot; Charlie Chan #2; also Fifty Candles. In 1928 he pub. Behind That Curtain; Charlie Chan #3. In 1929 he pub. The Black Camel; Charlie Chan #4. In 1930 he pub. Charlie Chan Carries On; Charlie Chan #5. In 1932 he pub. Keeper of the Keys; Charlie Chan #6 (last). In 1933 he pub. Earl Derr Biggers Tells Ten Stories.

Peter B. Kyne (1880-1957)

In 1913 San Francisco, Calif.-born Peter B. Kyne (1880-1957) pub. his first novel The Three Godfathers; three Wild West bank robbers adopt a newborn child; filmed in 1936 and 1948.

Eleanor Hodgman Porter (1868-1920)

In 1913 Littleton, N.H.-born Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter (1868-1920) pub. Pollyanna, about an ever-cheerful orphan growing up with her town boss Aunt Polly in Harrington; first in a series incl. "Pollyanna Grows Up" (1915); filmed in 1920 starring Mary Pickford, and in 1960 by Disney starring Hayley Mills; followed by Pollyanna Grows Up (1915), plus 11 more sequels called Glad Books by Elizabeth Borton or Harriet Lummis Smith; spawns the Pollyanna Principle (Effect) of Margaret W. Matlin and David J. Stang in 1978, that people tend to agree with positive statements about themselves.

Margaret Caroline Anderson (1886-1973)

In 1914 Indianapolis, Ind.-born Maroline Caroline Anderson (1886-1973) begins pub. The Little Review lit. mag. (until 1929), which goes on to introduce modernists T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, and pub. the first 13 chapters of Ulysses by James Joyce in 1918, which gets her convicted in 1921 of obscenity.

Joseph Hergesheimer (1880-1954)

In 1914 Philly-born Joseph Hergesheimer (1880-1954) pub. his first novel The Lay Anthony. In 1917 he pub. Three Black Pennys, about three generations of Penn. ironmasters. In 1919 he pub. Linda Condon; also Java Head; miscegenation. In 1924 he pub. Balisand. In 1930 he pub. The Party Dress. In 1934 he pub. his last novel The Foolscap Rose.

Fannie Hurst (1889-1968)

In 1914 Hamilton, Ohio-born Fannie Hurst (1889-1968) pub. Just Around the Corner (short stories). In 1918 she pub. Gaslight Sonatas (short stories). In 1919 she pub. Humoresque (short stories). In 1921 she pub. Stardust: The Story of an American Girl. In 1923 she pub. Lummox. In 1926 she pub. Mannequin; purchased for $50K from Liberty and Famous Players Co.; also Appasionata. In 1928 she pub. A President is Born. In 1929 she pub. Procession (short stories); also Five and Ten. In 1931 she pub. Back Street; romance novel starring adultery and death? In 1933 she pub. Imitiation of Life. In 1934 she pub. Anitra's Dance. In 1936 she pub. Great Laughter.

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) Paul de Kruif (1890-1971)

In 1914 Sauke Centre, Minn.-born redhead writer Harry Sinclair "Red" Lewis (1885-1951) pub. Our Mr. Wrenn. In 1917 he pub. The Job: An American Novel; Una Golden tries to make it in the man's world of real estate, and tries to divirce hubby Edward Schwirtz for Walter Babson; also The Innocents: A Story for Lovers. In 1920 he pub. Main Street, which becomes the #1 bestseller of 1921 (250K copies in first 6 mo.); Will Kennicott marries liberal Carol Milford, who goes to work reforming 1910s Gopher Prairie, Minn., causing them to snub her; "I do not admit that Main Street is as beautiful as it should be! I do not admit that dishwashing is enough to satisfy all women!"; its Pulitzer Prize is revoked in favor of Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence", causing Lewis to refuse the Pulitzer in 1926 for "Arrowsmith", after which he becomes the first Am. writer to receive the Nobel Lit. Prize in 1930. In 1922 he pub. Babbitt; a businessman who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards; "I have neve done a thing that I wanted to do in all my life"; set in the fictional town of Zenith (pop. 361K) in the fictional state of Winnemac (capital Galop de Vache) to appease the residents of Sauke Center, Minn., who got pissed-off at his novel "Main Street"; "The state of Winnemac is bounded by Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana, and like them it is half Eastern, half Midwestern. There is a feeling of New England in its brick and sycamore villages, its stable industries, and a tradition which goes back to the Revolutionary War. Zenith, the largest city in the state, was founded in 1792. But Winnemac is Midwestern in its fields of corn and wheat, its red barns and silos, and, despite the immense antiquity of Zenith, many counties were not settled till 1860." ("Arrowsmith") In 1925 he pub. Arrowsmith, which wins a Pulitzer Prize; the first great novel to idolize pure science?; doctor Martin Arrowsmith (based on Am. biologist Jacques Loeb) fights an epidemic in St. Hubert; Mich. microbiologist Paul de Kruif (1890-1971) contributes to the book, and receives 35% of the royalties. In 1926 he turns down the paltry $1K Pulitzer Prize for poetry. In Mar. 1927 he pub. the bestselling novel Elmer Gantry; filmed in 1960 starring Burt Lancaster and Jean Simmons; a boozing womanizing college athlete who was kicked out of a seminary for seducing the deacon's daughter in the chapel and became a traveling salesman, then gets religion at a small town tent meeting after lusting after Sister Sharon Flaconer, becoming a Bible-thumping fundamentalist evangelist to get her poontang and filthy lucre, and always gets away with it because of his holy cover and great talking ability; based on pastor Burris Jenkins of Linwood Blvd. Methodist Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Mo. and Unitarian Rev. L.M. Birkhead; dedicated to H.L. Mencken; Billy Sunday calls Lewis "Satan's cohort", and it is banned in Boston, making it more popular, becoming the #1 fiction bestseller of 1927; "Elmer Gantry was drunk. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk" (opening line); "He had learned how to assemble Jewish texts, Greek philosophy, and Middle-Western evangelistic anecdotes into a sermon. And he had learned that poverty was blessed, but that bankers make the best deacons"; “Elmer Gantry never knew who sent him thirty dimes, wrapped in a tract about holiness, nor why. But he found the sentiments in the tract useful in his sermon, and the thirty dimes he spent for lovely photographs of burlesque ladies"; "We shall yet make these United States a moral nation!" In 1928 he pub. The Man Who Knew Coolidge. In 1929 he pub. Dodsworth. In 1930 he becomes the first Am. writer to win the Nobel Lit. Prize. In 1933 he pub. Ann Vickers. In 1934 he pub. Work of Art. In 1935 he pub. It Can't Happen Here; populist fascist Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip becomes pres. of the U.S., and is taken on by crusading journalist Doremus Jessup; a parody of FDR? On Sept. 23, 1938 a time capsule, to be opened in the year 6939 is buried on the grounds of the World's Fair in New York City; it contains a woman's hat, man's pipe, 1.1K ft. of microfilm, and two novels, "Arrowsmith" by Sinclair Lewis (1925), and "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell (1936). In 1938 he pub. The Prodigal Parents. In 1945 he pub. Cass Timberlane. In 1947 he pub. Kingsblood Royal; WWII hero Neil Kingsblood returns to Grand Republic, Minn., and traces his genealogy, revealing that he is a horrible 1/32 Negro. In 1949 he pub. The God-Seeker, about Aaron Gadd rescues runaway slaves in pre-Civil War St. Paul. In 1951 World So Wide is pub. posth.; Hayden Chart of Colo. loses his wife in an automobile accident, runs away to Florence, Italy, becomes a historian, meets history prof. Olivia and falls for her, then loses her to another man.

Booth Tarkington (1869-1946)

In 1914 Indianapolis, Ind.-born Newton Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) pub. Penrod. In 1915 he pub. The Turmoil; first of the Growth Trilogy (The Magnficent Ambersons, 1918; The Midlander, 1923). In 1918 he pub. The Magnificent Ambersons (Pulitzer Prize); three gens. of an aristocratic family in the Am. Midwest; "A typical story of an American family and town - the great family that rules the roost and vanished virtually in a day as the town spread and darkened into a city" (Van Wyck Brooks); "Don't you think being things is rahthuh bettuh than doing things?" In 1921 he pub. Alice Adams (Pulitzer Prize). In 1923 he pub. The Midlander; retitled "National Avenue" in 1927.

On Aug. 4, 1914 - Nov. 11, 1918 the horrific World War I causes 15M deaths and 39M military casualties, and destroys the Old Order of white formerly Christian Europe. The U.S. played the Savior role, and lost a piddling number of troops compared to everybody else, and even after the horrific 1918 Spanish Influenza (Flu) Pandemic, you might call it lucky that it began to become the New Kid on the Block.

Katherine Gerould (1879-1944)

In 1915 Brockton, Mass.-born Katherine Elizabeth Fullerton Gerould (1879-1944) pub. The Tortise.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935)

In 1915 Hartford, Conn.-born women's activist Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) (great-niece of Harriet Beecher Stowe) pub. Herland.

Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955) Arthur Cheyney Train (1875-1945)

In 1915 Concord, Mass.-born Robert Williams Wood (1868-1955) and Boston, Mass.-born lawyer Arthur Cheyney Train (1875-1945) pub. the sci-fi novel The Man Who Rocked the Earth. In 1919 Train pub. Tutt and Mr. Tutt; atty. Ephraim Tutt; first in a series.

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941)

In 1916 Camden, Ohio-born ex-paint manufacturer Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941) pub. his first novel Windy McPherson's Son. In 1919 he pub. Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small-Town Life (short stories); based on Clyde, Ohio; George Willard's coming of age and ultimate abandoning of a fictional town. In 1920 he pub. Poor White, about inventor Hugh McVey on the banks of the Mississippi River. In 1921 he pub. the his short story The Triumph of the Egg. In Feb. 1923 he pub. Many Marriages, which was attacked for obscenity, causing his sales figures to begin tanking; also Horses and Men: Tales, long and short, from our American life (short stories). In 1925 he pub. Dark Laughter, dealing with 1920s sexual freedom, becoming his only bestseller, pissing-off his mentor Gertrude Stein, and mocked by Ernest Hemingway. In 1926 he pub. Tar: A Midwest Childhood (semi-autobio.); Edgar "Tar-heel or Tar" Moorehead. In 1929 he pub. Alice and the Lost Novel (semi-autobio.). In 1932 he pub. Beyond Desire. In 1936 he pub. Kit Brandon: A Portrait (last novel).

Sophie Kerr (1880-1965)

In 1916 Caroline County, Md.-born romance novelist Sophie Kerr (1880-1965) pub. her first novel Love at Large: Being the Amusing Chronicles of Juliette Carson In 1917 she pub. Blue Envelope. In 1918 she pub. The Golden Block. In 1919 she pub. The See-Saw. In 1920 she pub. Painted Meadows. In 1920 she and Avery Hopwood (1882-1928) pub. The Bat. In 1922 she pub. One Thing is Certain. In 1929 she pub. Mareea-Maria. In 1931 she pub. In for a Penny. In 1932 she pub. Girl into Woman. In 1934 she pub. Stay Out of My Life. In 1935 she pub. Miss J. Looks On. In 1936 she pub. There's Only One. In 1937 she pub. Adventure with Women. In 1940 she pub. Curtain Going Up. In 1941 she pub. The Beautiful Woman. In 1942 she pub. Michaels's Girls. In 1943 she pub. Jenny Devilin. In 1946 she pub. Love Story Incidental. In 1947 she pub. Wife's Eye View. In 1949 she pub. As Tall as Pride. In 1951 she pub. The Man Who Knew the Date.

Ring Lardner (1885-1933)

In 1916 Niles, Mich.-born Ringgold Wilmer "Ring" Lardner (1885-1933) pub. You Know Me Al. In 1919 he pub. Own Your Own Home (short stories). In 1924 he pub. How to Write Short Stories (short stories).

Christopher Darlington Morley (1890-1957)

In 1917 Haverford, Penn.-born Christopher Darlington Morley (1890-1957) (co-founder of the Baker Street Irregulars) pub. Parnassus on Wheels, semi-autobio. novel of a bookseller. In 1919 he pub. the sequel The Haunted Bookshop. In 1925 he pub. Thunder on the Left; a young boy refuses to age because in ancient Rome when men heard you know what they thought the gods had something important to say. In 1937 he pub. The Trojan Horse. In 1939 he pub. Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman; bestseller about a white-collar girl who falls for young socialite Wyn Strafford despite her family's objections, and ends up pregnant and gets an abortion; filmed in 1940; uses the word Conshohocken (a town in Penn.) as a swear word.

John Dos Passos (1896-1970)

In 1917 Chicago, Ill.-born John Roderigo Dos Passos (1896-1970) pub. his first novel One Man's Initiation, about WWI. In 1921 he pub. Three Soldiers, about the impact of war on civilization and art; Dan Fuselli, Chrisfield, John Andrews. In 1922 he pub. A Pushcart at the Curb; also Rosinante to the Road Again. In 1923 he pub. Streets of Night. In 1925 he pub. Manhattan Transfer, about his disillusionment with postwar urban America. In 1930 he pub. The 42nd Parallel, vol. 1 of the U.S.A. Trilogy (1930-6), about the disintegration of U.S. culture in the early 1900s, followed by 1919 in 1932, and The Big Money in 1936. In 1938 he pub. Journeys Between Wars. In 1939 he pub. Adventures of a Young Man; #1 in the District of Columbia Trilogy (1939-49), reflecting the author's change from liberal to conservative. In 1941 he pub. The Ground We Stand On. In 1943 he pub. Number One; #2 in the District of Columbia Trilogy. In 1944 he pub. State of the Nation. In 1945 he pub. Tour of Duty. In 1949 he pub. The Grand Design; #3 of the District of Columbia Trilogy. In 1950 he pub. U.S.A. In 1951 he pub. Chosen Country. In 1952 he pub. District of Columbia. In 1954 he pub. Most Likely to Succeed. In 1958 he pub. The Great Days. In 1961 he pub. his last novel Midcentury.

David Graham Phillips (1867-1911)

In 1917 Madison, Ind.-born journalist David Graham Phillips (1867-1911) pub. Susan Lenox: Her Rise and Fall.

Ernest Poole (1880-1950)

In 1917 Ernest Poole (1880-1950) pub. His Family, which becomes the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1918).

T.S. Stribling (1881-1965)

In 1917 Clifton, Tenn.-born Thomas Sigismund Stribling (1881-1965) pub. his first novel The Cruise of the Dry Dock. In 1922 he pub. Birthright; Harvard-educated mulatto Peter Siner returns to Hooker's Bend, Tenn., and is treated like an N-word. In 1923 he pub. Fombombo; set in Venezuela. In 1924 he pub. Red Sands; set in Venezuela. In 1926 he pub. Teeftallow. In 1929 he pub. Strange Moon; set in Venezuela. In 1931 he pub. The Forge; first of the Vaiden Family Trilogy, about Miltiades Vaiden, incl. "The Store", "The Unfinished Cathedral"; set in Florence, Ala. during Reconstruction. In 1932 he pub. The Store (Pulitzer Prize); Miltiades Vaiden gets black girl Gracie pregnant. In 1935 he pub. The Sound Wagon; Henry Caridius goes to Washington, D.C. to change the govt. In 1938 he pub. These Bars of Flesh; satire of Columbia U.; Andrew Barnett. In 1939 he pub. The Sound Wagon; Henry Caridius goes to Washington, D.C. to change the govt.

Sholem Asch (1880-1957)

In 1918 Kutno, Poland-born Sholem Asch (1880-1957) pub. Uncle Moses. In 1930 he pub. The Mother. In 1939 he pub. The Nazarene. In 1942 he pub. Children of Abraham. In 1943 he pub. The Apostle. In 1945 he pub. One Destiny. In 1946 he pub. East River: A Novel of New York. In 1948 he pub. Tales of My People (short stories). In 1949 he pub. Mary. In 1951 he pub. Moses. In 1953 he pub. A Passage in the Night. In 1955 he pub. The Prophet.

Walter Francis White (1895-1955)

In 1918 African-Am. white-looking (blonde-blue) Atlanta, Ga.-born Walter Francis White (1893-1955) moves to New York City to work for the NAACP, going on to travel 12K mi. next year giving speeches exposing lynchings and other injustices while risking being lynched himself. In 1924 he pub. his first novel The Fire in the Flint. In 1926 he pub. his last novel Flight.

Jack Boyle (1879-1928)

In 1919 Jack Boyle (1879-1928) pub. Boston Blackie, "Enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."

Frances Parkinson Keyes (1885-1970)

In 1919 Charlottesville, Va.-born Frances Parkinson Keyes (1885-1970) pub. her first novel The Old Gray Homestead (Sylvia Carey). In 1941 she pub. All That Glitters. In 1945 she pub. The River Road. In 1947 she pub. Vail D'Alvery; sequel to "The River Road"; also Came a Cavalier. In 1948 she pub. Dinner at Antoine's. In 1950 she pub. Joy Street; 1936-46 Boston, Mass. In 1952 she pub. Steamboat Gothic. In 1954 she pub. The Royal Box. In 1957 she pub. Blue Camellia. In 1958 she pub. The Golden Slippers (Victorine). In 1959 she pub. Station Wagon in Spain. In 1960 she pub. The Chess Players: A Novel of New Orleans and Paris; chess champ Paul Morphy. In 1962 she pub. Madame Castel's Lodger; about U.S. Civil War Confed Gen. Pierre Beauregard, whose home in New Orleans at 1113 Chartres St. she buys and moves into. In 1966 she pub. I, the King.

Hugh John Lofting (1886-1947)

In 1919 Maidenhead, Berkshire, England-born Hugh John Lofting (1886-1947) pub. Dr. Doolittle; Dr. John Doolittle from Puddleby-on-the-Marsh talks to the animals after Polynesia the Parrot teaches him. Too bad, he emigrates to the U.S. in 1919. In 1921 he pub. The Apostle. In 1923 he pub. The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle.

Robert Nathan (1894-1985)

In 1919 New York City-born Robert Gruntal Nathan (1894-1985) pub. his first novel Peter Kindred. In 1921 he pub. Autumn. In 1923 he pub. The Puppet Master. In 1925 he pub. Jonah. In 1926 he pub. The Fiddler in Barly. In 1927 he pub. The Woodcutter's House. In 1928 he pub. The Bishop's Wife. In 1929 he pub. There is Another Heaven. In 1931 he pub. The Orchard. In 1933 he pub. One More Spring. In 1935 he pub. Hands. In 1936 he pub. The Enchanted Voyage. In 1938 he pub. Winter in April. In 1940 he pub. Portrait of Jenny. In 1941 he pub. They Went Together. In 1942 he pub. The Sea-Gull Cry. In 1943 he pub. But Gently Day; also Journal for Josephine. In 1947 he pub. Mr. Whittle and the Morning Star. In 1948 he pub. Long After Summer. In 1949 he pub. The River Journey. In 1951 he pub. The Innocent Eve; also The Married Look. In 1953 he pub. The Train in the Meadow.

Charles Bernard Nordhoff (1887-1947) and James Norman Hall (1887-1951)

In 1919 London, England-born (to Am. parents) Charles Bernard Nordhoff (1887-1947) (raised in Calif.) pub. his first novel The Fledgling. In 1924 he pub. Picaro; also The Pearl Lagoon. In 1928 he and Colfax, Iowa-born James Norman Hall (1887-1951) pub. The Derelict. In 1932 they pub. The Mutiny on the Bounty; pt. 1 of a trilogy on the 1789 incident (1933, 1934), claiming that maltreatment by Capt. Bligh made them do it, not the lure of the South Pacific poon; filmed in 1935. In 1933 they pub. Men Against the Sea; Mutiny on the Bounty Trilogy #2. In 1934 they pub. Pitcairn's Island; Mutiny on the Bounty Trilogy #3. In 1936 they pub. The Hurricane; filmed by John Ford in 1937. In 1938 they pub. The Dark River. In 1939 Hall pub. The Friends. In 1940 Hall pub. Doctor Dogbody's Leg. In 1940 they pub. No More Gas; filmed in 1942 as "The Tuttles of Tahiti". In 1941 they pub. Botany Bay; filmed in 1953. In 1942 they pub. Men Without Country; filmed in 1944 by Michael Curtiz as "Passage to Marseille". In 1944 Hall pub. Lost Island. In 1945 they pub. High Barbaree; filmed in 1947. In 1950 Hall pub. The Far Lands. In 1950 Nordhoff posth. pub. The Far Lands.

David Pinski (1872-1959)

In 1919 Russian-born Yiddish novelist David Pinski (1872-1959) pub. Temptations (short stories).

Edward Streeter (1891-1976)

In 1919 Buffalo, N.Y.-born Edward Streeter (1900-76) pub. his first book Dere Mabel, humorous letters from an illiterate soldier to home, serialized in 1917-9 in the Buffalo Express newspaper in N.Y. In 1938 he pub. his first novel Daily Except Sundays, about a bank vice-pres. who writes fiction on the side. In 1949 he pub. the bestseller Father of the Bride; filmed in 1950 starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor; "No matter what Kay might have done about marriage it would not have been looked upon with any great favor by Mr. Stanley Banks." In 1954 he pub. Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation; filmed in 1962 by Henry Koster starring James Stewart and Maureen O'Hara. In 1956 he pub. Merry Christmas Mr. Baxter. In 1961 he pub. Chairman of the Bored. In 1969 he pub. Ham Martin, Class of '17 (last novel).

In the 1920s Boston, Mass. gets so serious about book censorship that the phrase "banned in Boston" enters the Am. language.

In the 1920s with a klutz like Warren G. Harding or Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace Anna Goodhue to turn them off to politics and home life, U.S. women incl. New Yorker columnist Lois Long come out of the boring parlors to enjoy cars, airplanes, radios, movies, and clubs, starting the Flapper style with bobbed hair and lipstick, short pants and dresses, driving cars, smoking cigs and having extramarital sex, esp. oral; female fashions in the U.S. and Britain feature straight dresses with no waistline, and skirts above the knees, along with cloche hats - those lipsticked lips holding a lit fag give men a woody and those cloche hats make them think about ringing their bell with a French kiss?

Arna Wendell Bontemps (1902-73) Countee Cullen (1903-46) Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961) Alain Locke (1886-1954) Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875-1935)

In the 1920s (1918-29?) the Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement) of African-Am. writers in Harlem, Manhattan, N.Y. begins, led by Alain LeRoy Locke (1886-1954) (the Dean) (first African-Am. Rhodes scholar, 1907), James Mercer Langston Hughes (1902-67), Arna Wendell "Arna" Bontemps (1902-73), Countee Cullen (1903-46), Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961), Alice Ruth Moore Dunbar Nelson (1875-1935) et al. In 1928 Countee Cullen marries the daughter of W.E.B. DuBois.

Flapper Girl F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-48)

On Mar. 26, 1920 St. Paul, Minn.-born Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940) pub. his first novel This Side of Paradise (the title taken from Rupert Brooke's poem "Tiare Tahiti") a coming of age novel set at Princeton U. about wealthy attractive student Amory Blaine, who "inherited from his mother every trait, except the stray inexpressible few, that made him worth while"; Isabelle is inspired by his college girlfriend Ginevra King; Rosalind is inspired by his girlfriend Zelda Fitzgerald (nee Sayre)(1900-48) (a Southern Belle he met in an Ala. country club), who "does resemble you in more ways than four", using quotes from her diary in the novel, and when the novel is a hit they marry on Apr. 3, becoming New York City celebs; "Amor had decided definitely on Princeton, even though he would be the only boy to enter that year from St. Regis'. Yale had a romance and glamour from the tales of Minneapolis, and St. Regis' men who had been 'tapped for Skull and Bones', but Princeton drew him most, with its atmosphere of bright colors and its alluring reputation as the pleasantest country club in America"; he also pub. Flappers and Philosophers (short stories); "I had no idea of originating an American flapper when I first began to write. I simply took girls whom I knew very well and, because they interested me as unique human beings, I used them for my heroines." (Metropolitan Mag., Nov. 1923). In 1922 he pub. The Beautiful and Damned about the downhill slide of a wealthy young couple (him and Zelda?); also Tales of the Jazz Age (short stories); incl. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about a baby that is born old and grows young. On Apr. 10, 1925 he pub. The Great Gatsby, about the disillusionment of the Am. Dream; set in summer 1922; Jay Gatsby (James Gatz) of West Egg, Long Island, Tom and Daisy Buchanan of East Egg, Gatsby's crooked associate Meyer Wolfsheim (modeled on Arnold Rothstein); narrator Nick Carraway; "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy"; Jay Gatsby "believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us"; the most widely read and taught 20th cent. Am. novel, it is not a financial success and is not initially recognized as a masterpiece; Jay Gatsby is based on German-born Cincinnati bootlegger George Remus (1876-1952), whose wife Imogene betrayed him and stole his assets while he was in the federal pen, causing him to murder her on Oct. 6, 1927, then claim temporary insanity and get a jury to acquit him after deliberating only 19 min.; meanwhile Fitzgerald's looney tunes flapper wife Zelda slows down his work until she ends up in an asylum in 1930. In 1932 Zelda pub. her only novel Save Me the Waltz, which has so much material from their personal lives that it pisses her hubby off, causing him to reciprocate in his 4th and last novel Tender Is the Night (1934); title comes from "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats (1820); brilliant young Am. psychiatrist Dick Diver marries a wealthy schizo mental patient in the Riviera during the 1920s and cracks up. He dies leaving the unpub. novel The Last Tycoon, posth. pub. in 1941, about Hollyweird and Monroe Stahr's (Irving Thalberg) rise to power in a contest with rival Pat Brady (Louis B. Mayer); filmed in 1976; rev. ed. pub. in 1993 under the title "The Love of the Last Tycoon".

Charles Brackett (1892-1969)

In 1920 Saratoga Springs, Fla.-born Charles Brackett (1892-1969) pub. his first novel Counsel of the Ungodly. In 1925 he pub. Week-End. In 1929 he pub. American Colony. In 1934 he pub. Entirely Surrounded. He goes on to help write the screenplays for "The Lost Weekend", "Sunset Boulevard", and "Titanic".

Floyd Dell (1887-1969)

In 1920 Pike County, Mo.-born Floyd Dell (1887-1969) pub. the bildungsroman Moon-Calf.

Zona Gale (1874-1938)

In 1920 Portage, Wisc.-born Zona Gale (1874-1938) pub. Miss Lulu Bett.

Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) 'Vladimir Nabokov' by Horst Tappe, 1970

In 1920 Russian-born novelist-lepidopterist Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (1899-1977) (who likes to write standing up?) pub. The Cluster. In 1923 he pub. The Empyrean Path. In 1926 he pub. Mashenka (Mary). In 1928 he pub. King, Queen, Nave. In 1929 he pub. The Return of Chorb. In 1930 he pub. The Luzhin Defense; also Eavesdropper. In 1932 he pub. Deed (Exploit) (Podvig). In 1933 he pub. Camera Obscura. In 1934 he pub. Despair. In 1936 he pub. Laughter in the Dark; Invitation to a Beheading. In 1938 he pub. The Gift. In 1939 he pub. The Eye (short stories). In 1941 he pub. The Real Life of Sebastian Knight. In 1947 he pub. Bend Sinister; also Nine Stories. In 1955 he pub. Lolita; pub. in English in Paris, and in Russian in New York City in 1958; filmed in 1962; scandalous novel about Prof. Humbert Humbert (b. 1910), who in 1947 rooms with Charlotte Haze in Ramsdale, New England, and falls for her tempting 12-y.-o. daughter Dolores "Lolita" Haze, whom he causes to have a "definite drop in... morals", marrying her mom to be near her until the latter is killed by a car, after which he does it with his step-daughter until she takes off with porno producer Clare Quilty, causing him to pursue and kill him, then get arrested and die of a heart attack after finishing his ms.; Lolita gives birth to a stillborn girl on Xmas Day 1952; Vivian Darkbloom is an anagram of his name; starts and ends with the word "Lolita"; alt. title is "The Kingdom of the Sea", a ref. to Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee": Shut her up in a sepulcher/ In the kingdom of the sea"; "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta; the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita" (opening); "I am thinking of aurochs and angels, the secret of durable pigments, prophetic sonnets, the refuge of art. And this is the only immortality you and I may share, my Lolita" (ending); filmed in 1962 by Stanley Kubrick, with her age bumped up to 14. In 1957 he pub. Pnin. In 1961 he emigrates to Switzerland. In 1962 he pub. Pale Fire. In 1969 he pub. Ada Or Ardor: A Family Chronicle; memoir of Van Veen, who loves his half-sister. In 1970 German photographer Horst Tappe (1938-2005) gains fame for a photo of Russian "Lolita" novelist Vladimir Nabokov wearing knee pants and holding a butterfly net near the Montreux Palace Hotel in Switzerland, where he met him in 1962 after an introduction by actor Peter Ustinov. In 1972 he pub. Transparent Things; Hugh Person's memories of visits to Switzerland. In 1973 he pub. Strong Opinions. In 1974 he pub. Look at the Harlequins!; autobio. novel. about Vadim.

Vincent Starrett (1886-1974)

In 1920 Toronto, Ont., Canada-born Vincent Emerson Starrett (1886-1974) (co-founder of the Baker Street Irregulars) pub. The Adventure of the Unique Hamlet. In 1933 he pub. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes.

Faith Baldwin (1893-1978)

In 1921 N.Y.-born Faith Baldwin (1893-1978) pub. Mavis of Green Hill, launching her bestselling U.S. romance novel career.

Stephen Vincent Benet (1898-1943) Elinor Wylie (1885-1928) William Rose Benet (1886-1950) Douglas Moore (1893-1969)

In 1921 Bethlehem, Penn.-born poet Stephen Vincent Benet (1898-1943) pub. his first novel The Beginning of Wisdom. In 1926 he pub. Spanish Bayonet. In 1937 he pub. The Devil and Daniel Webster, about Scratch, based on Goethe's Faust; turned into an opera by Douglas Moore (1893-1969) in 1939; filmed in 1941 starring Walter Huston. In 1939 he pub. Tales Before Midnight (short stories). In 1943 Twenty-Five Short Stories is posth. pub. In 1947 Selected Stories is posth. pub. In 1921 Somerville, N.J.-born poet Elinor Morton Wylie (1885-1928) pub. Jennifer Lorn: A Sedate Extravaganza. In 1925 she pub. The Venetian Glass Nephew. In 1926 she pub. Orphan Angel, about Percy Bysshe Shelley, if he escaped early death and moved to the U.S. (to be with her?). In 1928 Mr. Hodge and Mr. Hazard is pub. posth. In 1927 her hubby, Ft. Hamilton, N.Y.-born poet William Rose Benet (1886-1950) (elder brother of Stephen Vincent Benet) pub. Man Possessed.

Elliot Harold Paul (1891-1958)

In 1922 Malden, Mass.-born Elliott Harold Paul (1891-1958) pub. Indelible. In 1923 he pub. Impromptu. In 1924 he pub. Imperturbe. In 1929 he pub. Low Run Tide and Lava Rock. In 1930 he pub. The Governor of Massachusetts. In 1937 he pub. Life and Death of a Spanish Town. In 1938 he pub. Concert Pitch. In 1939 he pub. The Stars and Stripes Forever; also The Mysterious Mickey Finn. In 1941 he pub. Intoxication Made Easy. In 1945 he pub. I'll Hate Myself in the Morning; also Summer in December. In 1946 he pub. Linden on the Saugus Branch. In 1948 he pub. A Ghost Town on the Yellowstone. In 1949 he pub. My Old Kentucky Home. In 1950 he pub. Springtime in Paris. In 1951 he pub. Murder on the Left Bank. In 1953 he pub. Waylaid in Boston.

In 1923 Margaret Wilson pub. The Able McLaughlins (Pulitzer Prize).

Louis Bromfield (1896-1956)

In 1924 Mansfield, Ohio-born Louis Bromfield (1896-1956), an Am. expatriate in France from the end of WWI until 1939 pub. his first novel The Green Bay Tree, first in the 4-vol. Escape Series (1924-7). In 1925 he pub. Possession. In 1926 he pub. Early Autumn, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1927 he pub. A Good Woman. In 1933 he pub.The Farm. In 1937 he pub. The Rains Came. In 1940 he pub. Night in Bombay. In 1942 he pub. Until the Day Break. In 1945 he pub. Pleasant Valley; his farming experiences in Ohio. In 1947 he pub. Wild is the River. In 1951 he pub. Mr. Smith.

James Gould Cozzens (1903-78)

In 1924 Chicago, Ill.-born James Gould Cozzens (1903-78) pub. his first novel Confusion while a student at Harvard U.; also Michael Scarlett. In 1931 he pub. S.S. San Pedro, A Farewell to Cuba, and Total Stranger. In 1933 he pub. The Last Adam. In 1934 he pub. Castaway. In 1941 he pub. Ask Me Tomorrow. In 1942 he pub. The Just and the Unjust. In 1948 he pub. Guard of Honor, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1957 he pub. By Love Possessed; white Am. atty. Arthur Winner defends a young man accused of date rape and reminisces about his late wayward son; filmed in 1961; #1 bestseller of 1957 (most boring bestseller of the decade?), getting him a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize; too bad, he does an interview for the Sept. 2 issue of Time mag. which comes out garbled, making him into an anti-Catholic elitist racist sexist snob, although he is apolitical, areligious and married to a Jewish woman, causing his career to tank; his style does go Baroque frequently, e.g. "In private recital of her troubles to Edna Keating, Arthur Winner could imagine her saying: 'And on top of everything, I have to have the curse.'"; "Christ Church was for those who had always gone there - none of them, colored. For colored people their own church was provided - they attended the church of their choice!... The rule, to them, was a natural rule of self-respect... Paul then, and Alfred now, with the delicacy, the politeness self-respect required of them came last to the altar rail. The good, the just, man had consideration for others. By delaying, he took care that members of the congregation need never hesitate to receive the blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ because a cup from which a Negro had drunk contained it" (p. 518); "Ah, how wise, how sure, how right, was that genius of the language whose instinct detected in the manifold manifestings of the amative appetite (however different-seeming; however apparently opposed) the one same urgent unreason, the one same eager let's-pretend, and so, wisely consented, so, for convenience covenanted, to name all with one same name! Explaining, sweet unreason excused; excusing, sweet let's-pretend explained. The young heart, indentured (O wearisome conditions of humanity!) to reason, pined, starved on the bare bitter diet of thinking. One fine day, that heart (most hearts) must bolt. That heart would be off (could you blame it?) to Loveland, to feeling's feasts." (p. 386) On July 19, 1961 John Sturges' By Love Possessed debuts, starring Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jason Robards, and George Hamilton; on July 19 it becomes the first in-flight movie shown on a regular airline flight (TWA). In 1968 he pub. his last novel Morning, Noon, and Night, a first person novel about an upper-class man who tries to come to terms with life; too bad, the theme of societal stability doesn't jive with the times, and he is kaput as a novelist.

Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961)

In 1924 Fredericksville, N.J.-born Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961) (first black woman Phi Beta Kappa) pub. the novel There is Confusion. In 1928 she pub. Plum Bun. In 1931 she pub. The Chinaberry Tree: A Novel of American Life. In 1933 she pub. Comedy, American Style.

Paul Eliot Green (1894-1981)

In 1924 Lillington, N.C.-born Paul Eliot Green (1894-1981) pub. Salvation on a String (short stories).

DuBose Heyward (1885-1940) Dorothy Heyward (1890-1961)

In 1924 Charleston, S.C.-born DuBose Heyward (1885-1940) (descendant of DOI signer Thomas Heyward Jr.) pub. the bestseller Porgy, about a disabled black man in Catfish Row in the Am. South. In 1925 he and Dorothy Heyward (1890-1961) write the musical Porgy and Bess. In 1929 he pub. Mamba's Daughters; another Catfish Row novel.

Martha Ostenso (1900-63)

In 1924 Bergen, Norway-born Martha Ostenso (1900-63) (pr. like "Austin so") pub. In a Far Land. In 1925 she pub. Wild Geese, a realist novel about fiery heroine Judith Gare, which breaks the rules and causes a sensation. In 1926 she pub. The Dark Dawn. In 1927 she pub. The Mad Carews. In 1929 she pub. The Young May Moon . In 1930 she pub. The Waters Under the Earth. In 1931 she pub. Prologue to Love. In 1933 she pub. There's Always Another Year. In 1937 she pub. The Stone Field. In 1938 she pub. The Mandrake Root. In 1942 she pub. Love Passed This Way. In 1943 she pub. O River, Remember!; also she and Elizabeth Kenny (1880-1952) pub. And They Shall Walk. In 1948 she pub. Milk Route. In 1949 she pub. The Sunset Tree.

Julia Peterkin (1880-1961)

In 1924 Laurens County, S.C.-born Julia Peterkin (nee Mood) (1880-1961) pub. her first book Green Thursday: Stories, becoming one of the first white authors to specialize in the Gullah black culture of coastal S.C.; Carl Sandburg is her lit. agent. In 1927 she pub. her first novel Black April. In 1928 she pub. Scarlet Sister Mary, winning a Pulitzer Prize; John B. Oliver's Victim and Victor was passed over, causing judge Richard S. Burton to resign. In 1932 she pub. Bright Skin. In 1933 she pub. Roll, Jordan, Roll. In 1934 she pub. A Plantation Christmas.

Ole Rolvaag (1876-1931)

In 1924 Donna, Norway-born Ole Edvart Rolvaag (1876-1931) pub. Giants in the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie (Verdens Grode), about Norwegian immigrants in the Dakota plains in the 1870s; big book at his alma mater of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.

Laurence Stallings (1894-1968)

In 1924 Macon, Ga.-born Laurence Tucker Stallings (1894-1968) pub. his first and only novel (autobio.) Plumes, which becomes a big hit, and is adapted for King Vidor's 1925 "The Big Parade".

James Boyd (1888-1944)

In 1925 Harrisburg, Penn.-born James Boyd (1888-1944) pub. Drums, about N.C. plantation owner son Johnny Fraser in the Am. Rev. War; best Am. Rev. War. novel? In 1927 he pub. a sequel Marching On. In 1930 he pub. Long Hunt, about the Am. Western frontier. In 1935 he pub. Roll River, about Harrisburg, Penn. from 1880-1920. In 1939 he pub. Bitter Creek. In 1941 he pub. One More Free Man.

John Erskine (1879-1951)

In 1925 John Erskine (1879-1951) pub. The Private Life of Helen of Troy; bestseller of 1926, filmed in 1927 by Alexander Korda. In 1927 he pub. Adam and Eve. In 1930 he pub. Cinderella's Daughter, and Other Sequels and Consequences.

Rose Franken (1896-1988)

In 1925 Gainesville, Tex.-born Rose Franken (1896-1988) pub. her first novel Pattern. She then turns to plays.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)

In 1925 Notasulga, Ala.-born Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) pub. Color Struck. In 1928 she pub. How It Feels to Be Colored Me. In 1931 she pub. Hoodoo in America. In 1933 she pub. The Gilded Six-Bits. In 1934 she pub. Jonah's Gourd Vine. In 1935 she pub. Mules and Men. In 1936 she pub. Mules and Men. In 1937 she pub. Their Eyes Were Watching God, about Janie Crawford in Eatonville, Fla. (first all-black community in the U.S.), filmed in 2005 by Harpo Productions starring Halle Berry; also Mules and Men. In 1939 she pub. Moses, Man of the Mountain. In 1948 she pub. Seraph on the Suwanee (last novel).

Dawn Powell (1896-1965)

In 1925 Mount Gilead, Ohio-born Dawn Powell (1896-1965) pub. her first novel Whither. In 1928 she pub. She Walks in Beauty. In 1929 she pub. The Bride's House. In 1930 she pub. Dance Night. In 1932 she pub. The Tenth Moon (Come Back to Sorrento). In 1933 she pub. Big Night. In 1934 she pub. Jig Saw: A Comedy. In 1936 she pub. Turn, Magic Wheel, a social satire in New York City; her first hit. In 1938 she pub. The Happy Island. In 1940 she pub. Angels on Toast. In 1942 she pub. A Time to Be Born. In 1944 she pub. My Home is Far Away. In 1948 she pub. The Locusts Have No King. In 1954 she pub. The Wicked Pavilion; Cafe Julien and vanished painter Marius; based on Hotel Brevoort. In 1956 she pub. A Man's Affair; rev. of "Angels on Toast" (1940). In 1957 she pub. A Cage for Lovers. In 1962 she pub. Waterlily Fire. On Nov. 14, 1965 she dies of colon cancer in New York City, and donates her body to the Cornell Medical Center, which later buries what's left on Hart Island, N.Y. She leaves the soundbytes: "A novel must be a rich forest known at the start only by instinct"; "Satire is people as they are; romanticism, people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out."

Helen Hooven Santmyer (1895-1986) Helen Hooven Santmyer (1895-1986)

In 1925 Cincinnati, Ohio-born Helen Hooven Santmyer (1895-1986) pub. Herbs and Apples. In 1929 she pub. The Fierce Dispute. In 1984 she pub. ...And Ladies of the Club; her first novel since 1929; bestseller about a family in small-town Waynesboro, Ohio between the U.S. Civil War and Great Depression; Anne Gordon and Sally Rausch, 1868 graduates of the Waynesboro Female Seminary.

William Faulkner (1897-1962)

On Feb. 25, 1926 New Albany, Miss.-born poet William Cuthbert Faulkner (1897-1962) pub. his first novel Soldiers' Pay, which he wrote after New Orleans friend Sherwood Anderson turns him on to novel-writing. In 1929 he pub. Sartoris, about Col. John Sartoris, based on his great-grandfather William Clark Falkner (1825-89); also The Sound and the Fury (Oct. 7) (U. of Okla. Press); the Compson family of Jefferson, Mo. and its slow decline as seen through the eyes of retarded Benjamin "Benjy" Compson; first in the Yoknapatawpha County series. On Apr. 30, 1930 he pub. A Rose for Emily, his first nat.-pub. short story, about eccentric spinster Emily Grierson and her Yankee lover Homer Barron, whom she poisons with arsenic and sleeps with for 40 years, based on a woman who lived in Rowan Oak before Faulkner; he then pub. the novel As I Lay Dying, which features a sketch of a coffin as part of the text. In 1931 he pub. Sanctuary. In 1932 he pub. Light in August (original title "Dark House"), about Lena Grove, her baby Lucas Burch (alias Joe Brown), her lover Byron Bunch, and Joe Christmas, who doesn't know if he's black or white, is accused of the murder of older white Joanna Burden, and is castrated by Nat. Guardsman Percy Grimm, all in Jefferson, Yoknapatawpha County. In 1934 he pub. Dr. Martino (short stories). In 1935 he pub. Pylon, which is filmed as "The Tarnished Angels" (1957). On Oct. 26, 1936 he pub. Absalom, Absalom!, about three families in the Am. South around the time of the U.S. Civil War, esp. Thomas Sutpen. In 1938 he pub. The Unvanquished. In 1939 he pub. If I Forget Thee Jerusalem (The Wild Palms/ Old Man); also Knight's Gambit (short stories). In 1940 he pub. The Hamlet. In 1942 he pub. Go Down, Moses. In Sept. 1948 he pub. Intruder in the Dust. In 1949 he wins the Nobel Lit. Prize. In 1951 he pub. Requiem for a Nun. On Aug. 2, 1954 he pub. A Fable, about WWI, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1958 he pub. The Town, first in the Snopes Trilogy. In 1959 he pub. The Mansion, about the de Spain home in Jefferson, Miss.; #2 in Snopes Trilogy. In 1962 he pub. The Reivers (last novel) (Pulitzer Prize), #3 in Snopes Trilogy; a young boy and two adult pals steal a car and escape 1905 small-town Miss. for the big city of Memphis, Tenn.

Esther Forbes (1891-1967)

In 1926 Westborough, Mass.-born Esther Forbes (1891-1967) pub. her first novel Oh Genteel Lady!. In 1928 she pub. A Mirror for Witches; Doll Bilby gets put on trial as a witch in Salem, Mass. In 1943 she pub. Johnny Tremain.

John Gunther (1901-70)

In 1926 Chicago, Ill-born. John Gunther (1901-70) pub. The Red Pavilion (first novel). In 1927 he pub. Peter Lancelot: An Amusement. In 1928 he pub. Eden for One: An Amusement. In 1929 he pub. The Golden Fleece. In 1932 he pub. Bright Nemesis. In 1936 he pub. Inside Europe. In 1945 he pub. The Troubled Midnight. In 1964 he pub. The Lost City; Marson and Paula Jarrett in 1930s Vienna watch Hitler take over.

Anita Loos (1893-1981)

In 1926 Sisson (Mount Shasta), Calif.-born Corinne Anita Loos (1893-1981) (pr. like Luce) pub. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: The Intimate Diary of a Professional Lady; filmed in 1953. She follows with But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes (1927).

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Sidney Franklin (1903-76) Gregorio Fuentes (1897-2002) 'The Sun Also Rises', 1926

In 1926 after his first wife Hadley Richardson loses a bag containing the ms. of his first novel on a Parisian train in 1921, Oak Park, Ill.-born Ernest Miller "Papa" Hemingway (1899-1961) (likes to write standing up?) pub. his first novel The Torrents of Spring: A Romantic Novel in Honor of the Passing of a Great Race, a satire of Sherwood Anderson's "Dark Laughter", written to force his publisher to break his contract?; in Oct. 1926 he pub. The Sun Also Rises (working title "Fiesta") (his magnum opus?), a roman a clef based on his 1925 trip to Spain about morally irresponsible Yanks and Brits of the "lost generation" (from a letter Gertrude Stein wrote him) in France (where horse chestnut trees bloom in the Luxembourg Gardens of Paris) and Spain; popularizes the running of the bulls at Pamplona during the San Fermin Festival, dating to the 16th cent. (injury records begin to be kept in 1924, and 13 are killed by 2007); impotent Jacob "Jake" Barnes (narrator) loves Lady Brett Ashley, who is engaged to Michael "Mike" Campbell; cover art by Cleonike Damianakes, showing a sexy Greek girl sitting under a tree showing plenty of leg; causes a craze among Am. women to wear short hair and sweater sets; pioneers the Iceberg Theory (Theory of Omission) of writing; filmed in 1956 starring Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, and Errol Flynn, and 1984; "Suddenly, a crowd came down the street. They were all running, and then the bulls galloping, tossing their heads up and down." In 1929 he pub. A Farewell to Arms (first bestseller), about Frederic Henry, an expatriate U.S. officer in the Italian ambulance service in the Italian Front in the Alps who loves English nurse Catherine Barkley until she dies in childbirth; as Gertrude Stein tells him "You are all a lost generation"?; the #1 Am. WWI novel?; filmed in 1932 and 1957; "All thinking men are atheists"; "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places." In 1932 he pub. the nonfiction book Death in the Afternoon; about Spanish bullfighting, incl. Brooklyn-born Jewish-Am. matador Sidney Franklin (Frumkin) (1903-76); popularizes the term "cajones" (balls); "The bullfight is not a sport in the Anglo-Saxon sense of the word"; "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honor"; "About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after"; "There is no lonelier man in death, except the suicide, than that man who has lived many years with a good wife and then outlived her. If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it"; "A serious writer is not to be confused with a solemn writer. A serious writer may be a hawk or a buzzard or even a pipinjay, but a solemn writer is always a bloody owl"; "All our words from loose using have lost their edge." In 1933 he pub. Winner Take Nothing (short stories) (last collection). In 1936 he pub. the short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro in Esquire mag.; writer Harry goes on safari in Africa with Helen to "work the fat off his soul", and dies from gangrene after scratching his leg on a thorn and seeing his life flash before his eyes; his pride and joy?; filmed in 1952 by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward. In 1938 he pub. The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories (short stories). On Oct. 21, 1940 he pub. For Whom the Bell Tolls; title taken from John Donne's 1624 "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditations XVII"; based on killings that took place during the 1936-9 Spanish Civil War at the El Tajo cliffs of Ronda in S Spain; Am. North Am. Newspaper Alliance reporter and prof. Robert Jordan becomes an explosives expert for the rebels in the Spanish Civil War, and is assigned to blow up a bridge in Segovia while wooing Maria; filmed in 1943 by Sam Wood starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. In 1950 he pub. Across the River and Into the Trees, his first novel since "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1940); title from the quote "Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees" by Confed. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson; about aging U.S. Col. Richard Cantwell on a duck hunt in Trieste, Italy, flashing back to WWI and young hot Venetian woman Renata, based on Hemingway's babe Adriana Ivancich. In 1952 he pub. The Old Man and the Sea (last major work pub. during his lifetime) (Pulitzer Prize); aging Cuban fisherman Santiago, based on Canary Islands-born Cuban fishing boat Capt. Gregorio Fuentes (1897-2002), who makes a living posing for photos until he finally dies of cigar smoking at age 104; "I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing": "Then the fish came alive with his death in him"; "A man can be destroyed but not defeated"; filmed in 1958 starring Spencer Tracy. In 1954 he wins the Nobel Lit. Prize.

Frances Newman (1883-1928)

In 1926 Atlanta, Ga.-born Frances Newman (1883-1928) pub. The Hard-Boiled Virgin; budding writer Katharine Faraday; stuns her hometown of Atlanta, Ga. with satire of Southern culture, and is banned in Boston for sexuality, making it more popular? In 1928 she pub. Dead Lovers are Faithful Lovers; another shocker to the Southern set.

Elizabeth Madox Roberts (1881-1941)

In 1926 Perryville, Ky.-born Elizabeth Madox Roberts (1881-1941) pub. The Time of Man. In 1930 she pub. The Great Meadow. In 1931 she pub. A Buried Treasure.

B. Traven (1882-1969)

In 1926 mystery man B. Traven (1882-1969) pub. Das Totenschiff (The Death Ship). In 1927 he pub. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, which is filmed in 1948 by John Huston; his identity is never ascertained, and he spends most of his life in Mexico.

S.S. Van Dine (1888-1939)

In 1926 Charlottesville, Va.-born S.S. Van Dine (Willard Huntington Wright) (1888-1939) pub. The Benson Murder Case; introduces detective Philo Vance. In 1927 he pub. The Canary Murder Case. In 1929 he pub. The Bishop Murder Case. In 1934 he pub. The Casino Murder Case. In 1938 he pub. The Powwow Murder Case.

Eric Derwent Walrond (1898-1966)

In 1926 Guyana-born Eric Derwent Walrond (1898-1966) pub. Tropic Death, a collection of short stories that makes him a Harlem Renaissance star; "A ram-shackle body, dark in the ungentle spots exposing it, jogged, reeled and fell at the tip of a white bludgeon." In 1927 he pub. City Love.

Herbert Asbury (1889-1963)

In 1927 Farmington, Mo.-born Herbert Asbury (1889-1963) pub. his first novel The Devil of Pei-ling. In 1928 he pub. The Tick of the Clock; also Not at Night: A Collection of Weird Tales. He then turns historian, with a series of "Informal Histories".

Charles Fulton Oursler (1892-1952)

In 1927 Baltimore, Md.-born Charles Fulton Oursler (1893-1952) pub. The Spider. In 1928 he pub. Poor Little Fool. In 1930 he pub. The Great Jasper. In 1949 he pub. The Greatest Story Ever Told; bio. of Jesus Christ; NYT bestseller for 7 mo. In 1951 he pub. The Greatest Book Ever Written; Old Testament stories.

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975)

In 1927 Madison, Wisc.-born Thornton Niven Wilder (1897-1975) pub. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Pulitzer Prize); bestseller of 1928, making him an instant hit. In 1935 he pub. Heaven's My Destination; traveling textbook salesman George Marvin Brush gets saved. In 1948 he pub. The Ides of March; the assassination of Caesar in 44 B.C.E. In 1967 he pub. The Eighth Day; his first novel since 1948, written while living in Douglas, Ariz., about a mining town in S Ill. and two families from 1845-1945; John Ashley, head of one family is accused of murdering Breckenridge Lansing, head of the other, and runs to Chile, where he gets religion, and is ultimately vindicated; "The [human] race is undergoing its education. What is education? It is the bridge man crosses from the self-enclosed, self-favoring life into a consciousness of the entire community of mankind."

Roark Bradford (1896-1948)

In 1928 Lauderdale County, Tenn.-born Roark Bradford (1896-1948) pub. Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun. In 1930 he pub. Ol' King David an' the Philistine Boys. In 1931 he pub. John Henry, about a super-powerful black man who dies during a contest between his sledge hammer and a steam-driven one; dramatized in 1940 with music by Jacques Wolfe - I can't decide if this is racist or just flattering?

Leslie Charteris (1907-93)

In 1928 Singapore-born Leslie Charteris (Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin) (1907-93) (Chinese father, English mother) pub. Meet - the Tiger!, which introduces "the Robin Hood of modern crime" Simon Templar (b. 1901), AKA "the Saint" (from his initials ST, and of course all his aliases have the same initials), who leaves a stick figure drawing of a man with a halo at the scene of his hits; he's really connected with the Knights Templars and the Sinclair family? In 1930 he pub. Enter the Saint, which is so much better than the 1928 novel that he begins calling it the start of the Saint series. In 1932 he emigrates to the U.S.

Josephine Herbst (1892-1969)

In 1928 Sioux City, Iowa-born Josephine Herbst (1892-1969) pub. Nothing is Sacred. In 1929 she pub. Money for Love. In 1933 she pub. Pity is Not Enough; first in a leftist trilogy about the U.S. from the Civil War through the Depression, followed by The Executioner Waits (1934), and Rope of Gold (1939). In 1941 she pub. Satan's Sargeants. In 1947 she pub. Somewhere the Tempest Fell. In 1954 she pub. New Green World.

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937)

In 1928 Providence, R.I.-born horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) pub. The Call of Cthulhu. In 1931 he pub. At the Mountains of Madness. The fictional Necronomicon grimoire figures in his stories.

MacKinlay Kantor (1904-77)

In 1928 Webster City, Iowa-born MacKinlay Kantor (1904-77) pub. his first novel Diversey. In 1934 he pub. Long Remember; pacifist Dane Bale of Gettysburg, Penn. ends up in guess what? In 1945 he pub. Glory for Me. In 1955 he pub. Andersonville, which wins a Pulitzer Prize, about the wonderful Confed. POW camp in Jawjaw. In 1961 he pub. Spirit Lake, about an Indian raid on Iowa settlers.

Claude McKay (1889-1948)

In 1928 Jamaican-born poet Claude McKay (1889-1948) pub. Home to Harlem, which becomes a bestseller. In 1930 he pub. Banjo. In 1932 he pub. Gingertown (short stories). In 1933 he pub. Banana Bottom.

Vicki Baum (1888-1960)

In 1929 Vienna, Austria-born Vicki (Hedwig) Baum (1888-1960) pub. Grand Hotel (Menschen im Hotel), a bestseller about a sex-drenched weekend at a posh hotel; filmed in 1932 by Edmund Goulding starring Greta Garbo; she emigrates to the Grand Hotel U.S. in 1932.

Max Brand (1892-1944)

In 1929 Seattle, Wash.-born Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust) (1892-1944) pub. Destry Rides Again; big hit, even though the author knows little about the real Am. Old West and becomes single-handedly responsible for souping it up until Larry McMurtry and his "Lonesome Dove". In 1932 he pub. Montana Rides, a trilogy of Westerns featuring the Montana Kid; also Silver Tip, first of 13 novels about drifter gunman Jim Silver and his horse Parade, who stands guard as his master sleeps. He uses 20 pen names and writes 30M+ words in his 52-year life.

Erskine Caldwell (1903-87)

In 1929 White Oak, Ga.-born Erskine Preston Caldwell (1903-87) pub. The Bastard. In 1930 he pub. Poor Fool. In Jan. 1932 he pub. Tobacco Road, a bestseller about hillbilly degeneracy in rural E Ga.; Jeeter Lester, wife Ada and their 17 children, incl. Dude, Ellie May, and Pearl; 30+-y.-o. Sister Bessie Rice lusts for 16-y.-o. Dude and buys him a new Ford which he wrecks after running over his grandmother, who is buried while still alive; Dude, Bessie, and Jeeter stay overnight at a whorehouse thinking it's a cheap hotel, and after being serviced by several men, Bessie exclaims, "I want to go back some time and spend another night at that hotel"; Jeeter burns his land to "prepare" it for planting cotton, and ends up getting burned to death with his wife while sleeping in their dilapidated shack. In 1933 he pub. God's Little Acre; more scandalmongering about dumb Southerners. In 1935 he pub. Kneel to the Rising Sun. In 1938 he pub. Southways. In 1943 he pub. Georgia Boy. In 1944 he pub. Tragic Ground. In 1946 he pub. House in the Uplands. In 1947 he pub. The Sure Hand of God. In 1954 he pub. Love and Money. In 1955 he pub. Gretta.

Vera Caspary (1899-1987)

In 1929 Vera Caspary (1899-1987) pub. The White Girl. In 1942 she pub. Ring Twice for Laura; filmed in 1944.

Edward Dahlberg (1900-77)

In 1929 Boston, Mass.-born Edward Dahlberg (1900-77) pub. his first novel Bottom Dogs; intro. by D.H. Lawrence. In 1932 he pub. From Flushing to Cavalry. In 1934 he pub. Those Who Perish.

Lloyd Cassel Douglas (1877-1951)

In 1929 Columbia City, Ind.-born Lutheran minister Lloyd Cassel Douglas (1877-1951) pub. Magnificent Obsession. In 1935 he pub. the bestseller Green Light. In 1942 he pub. the bestseller The Robe, about what happened to Jesus Christ's robe after the crucifixion; filmed in 1953. In 1948 he pub. the bestseller The Big Fisherman.

Walter D. Edmonds (1903-98)

In 1929 Booneville, N.Y.-born Walter Dumaux "Walt" Edmonds (1903-98) pub. his first novel Rome Haul, which is filmed in 1935, becoming the film debut of Henry Fonda. In 1936 he pub. Drums Along the Mohawk; Gil and Lana Martin in the Mohawk Valley of New York during the Am. Rev.; filmed in 1939 by John Ford.

W.R. Burnett (1899-1982)

In 1929 Springfield, Ohio-born Chicago seedy hotel night clerk William Riley "W.R. Burnett (1899-1982) pub. Little Caesar, about Chicago mobster Rico Bandetti; filmed in 1931 starring Edward G. Robinson; "Rico was standing in front of the mirror, combing his hair with a little ivory pocket comb. Rico was vain of his hair. It was black and lustrous, combed straight back from his low forehead and arranged in three symmetrical waves. Rico was a simple man. He loved but three things: himself, his hair and his gun. He took excellent care of all three." He followed it with Iron Man (1930) (filmed in 1931, 1937, 1951), Saint Johnson (1930) (filmed in 1932, and in 1953 as "Law and Order"), The Silver Eagle (1931), The Beast of the City (1932), The Giant Swing (1932) (filmed in 1941 as "Dance Hall"), Dark Hazard (1933) (filmed in 1934, 1937), King Cole (1936), High Sierra (1941) (filmed in 1941, and in 1956 as "I Died a Thousand Times"), The Quick Brown Fox (1943), Nobody Lives Forever (1943) (filmed in 1946), Tomorrow's Another Day (1946), Romelle (1947), The Asphalt Jungle (1949) (filmed in 1950, as "The Badlanders" in 1958, as "Cairo" in 1963, as "Cool Breeze" in 1972), Stretch Dawson (Yellow Sky) (1950) (filmed in 1948, and as "The Jackals" in 1967), Little Men Big World (1952), Vanity Row (1952) (filmed in 1957 as "Accused of Murder"), Adobe Walls: A Novel of the Last Apache Rising (1953), Big Stan (1953), Captain Lightfoot (1954) (filmed in 1955, and as "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" in 1974), It's Always Four O'Clock (1956), Pale Moon (1956), Underdog (1957), Bitter Ground (1958), Mi Amigo: A Novel of the Southwest (1959), Conant (1961), Round the Clock at Volari's (1961), The Goldseekers (1962), The Widow Barony (1962), The Abilene Samson (1963), Sergeants 3 (1963), The Roar of the Crowd: Conversations with an Es-Big-Leaguer (1964), The Cool Man (1968), and Good Bye Chicago (1982).

Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)

On Feb. 1, 1929 St. Mary's County, Md.-born Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961) pub. his first novel Red Harvest, narrated by the Continental Op, who investigates the murder in Personville (Poisonville) of newspaper publisher Donald Willsson, whose industrialist father Elihu Willsson pays his Continental Detective Agency $10K to clean up the city of gangs; He follows on July 19, 1929 with The Dain Curse; firt pub. in Black Mask mag. in 1928-9; the Continental Op investigates the theft of diamonds from the Leggett family of San Francisco, Calif., leading to Edgar Leggett's wife Alice Dain, whose family has a curse of sudden violent death upon those in their vicinity, and to his daughter Gabrielle, who is involved in a mysterious religious cult that addicted her to morphine. On Feb. 14, 1930 he pub. The Maltese Falcon, written in a couple of days in San Francisco, where he lived since 1921; filmed in 1931 and 1941; "Sam Spade's jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting V under the more flexible V of his mouth" (first line); Burritt Alley, where Miles Archer is murdered is one block away from Monroe St., one of the 8-10 places he lived; on Dec. 6, 1994 the Maltese Falcon statue is auctioned for $398,590; on Nov. 25, 2013 it is auctioned to Las Vegas hotel magnate Steve Wynn for $4.1M. On Apr. 24, 1931 he pub. The Glass Key; filmed in 1935 and 1942; his favorite?; in 1992 the Glass Key Award is established for best crime novel by a Scandinavian writer. In Dec. 1933 he pub. The Thin Man in Redbook; the last of his five novels; ex-detective Nick Charles and his wealthy admiring socialite wife Nora Charles, owners of female Schnauzer Astra are drawn into the case of inventor Clyde Miller Wynant; filmed in 1934-47 as a 6-part series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, and an NBC-TV series in 1957-9 starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk.

Oliver La Farge (1901-63)

In 1929 New York City-born Oliver Hazard Perry La Farge (1901-63) (descendant of Oliver Hazard Perry) pub. Laughing Boy, which wins a Pulitzer Prize; filmed in 1934. In 1931 he pub. Sparks Fly Upward. In 1933 he pub. Long Pennant. In 1935 he pub. The Enemy Gods. In 1942 he pub. The Copper Pot. In 1944 he pub. War Below Zero. In 1949 he pub. The Eagle in the Egg. In 1953 he pub. Cochise of Arizona. In 1954 he pub. The Mother Ditch. In 1957 he pub. A Pause in the Desert (short stories).

Meyer Levin (1905-81)

In 1929 Chicago, Ill.-born Meyer Levin (1905-81) ("#1 Jewish-Am.writer of the 20th cent.") pub. his first novel The Reporter. In 1930 he pub. Frankie and Johnny. In 1931 he pub. Yehuda. In 1933 he pub. The New Bridge. In 1937 he pub. The Old Bunch. In 1940 he pub. Citizens. In 1947 he pub. My Father's House.

S.J. Perelman (1904-79)

In 1929 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Sidney Joseph Perelman (1904-79) pub. his first novel Dawn Ginsbergh's Revenge; a success, gaining him access to Hollywood.

Manfred Bennington Lee (1905-71) and Frederick Dannay (1905-82)

In 1929 the first suave sophisticated Ellery Queen detective story The Roman Hat Mystery is pub. by first cousins Manfred Bennington Lee (1905-71) and Frederic Dannay (1905-82), advertising agents who got their start by winning a mag. story contest. In 1931 they pub. The Dutch Shoe Mystery. In 1935 they pub. The Spanish Cape Mystery; also Halfway House. In 1940 they pub. The American Gun Mystery. In 1942 they pub. Calamity Town. In 1947 they pub. The Case Book of Ellery Queen (short stories). In 1951 they pub. Origin of Evil. In 1953 they pub. The Scarlet Letters.

John Steinbeck (1902-68)

In 1929 Salinas, Calif.-born John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (1902-68) pub. his first novel Cup of Gold. In 1933 he pub. To a God Unknown. In 1935 he pub. Tortilla Flat, which extols the benefits of eating pinto beans. In 1936 he pub. In Dubious Battle. In 1937 he pub. Of Mice and Men; title taken from Robert Burns' "To a Mouse" ("The best laid schemes o' mice an' men/ Gang aft agley"); after fleeing Weed, Calif. to Soledad, Calif. after he is accused of rape for grabbing a woman's dress, big strong retarded Lennie Small, who likes to pet rabbits accidentally kills the wife of ranch owner's son Curley while trying to stroke her hair, causing a lynch mob to come for him, after which his pal George Milton shoots him in the head to give him a quick death; also The Red Pony. On Apr. 14, 1939 (74th anniv. of Pres. Lincoln's assassination) he pub. the bestselling realist novel The Grapes of Wrath, based on articles written for the San Francisco News, causing a political storm comparable to Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 "Uncle Tom's Cabin"; Tom Joad gets out of priz, finds his Okla. farm gone with the wind, loads up his family in an old jalopy and heads for Calif., only to find prejudice against Okies and become radicalized; first to call Route 66 the "mother road". In Mar. 1942 he pub. The Moon is Down, about Norway's resistance to Nazi occupation; title is from a phrase by Fleance in Shakespeare's "Macbeth". In 1945 he pub. Cannery Row, about a sardine fishery in Monterey, Calif. during the Great Depression; Lee Chong the grocer; Mack, leader of the Palace Flophouse and Grill throws a party for Doc the marine biologist that goes wrong; "A poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream." In 1947 he pub. The Pearl, about pearl diver Kino of La Paz, Mexico and his infant son Coyotito, who is bitten by a scorpion; also The Wayward Bus; half-Mexican half-Irish Juan Chicoy and his small bus named Sweetheart in Rebel Corners 42 mi. S of San Ysidro, Calif.; filmed in 1957 starring Jayne Mansfield. In Sept. 1952 he pub. , East of Eden; his magnum opus?; the Trasks and the Hamiltons in Salinas Valley, Calif.; twins Caleb "Cal" and Aron; "Say hello to your mother, Aron"; filmed in 1955. In 1954 he pub. Sweet Thursday; sequel to "Cannery Row" (1945); the day between Lousy Wed. and Waiting Fri.; marine biologist Doc and his ho babe Suzy; basis of the 1955 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Pipe Dream". In 1961 he pub. his last novel The Winter of Our Discontent; an old New England family collapses morally and financially; Ethan Allen Hawley.

Rex Todhunter Stout (1886-1975)

In 1929 Noblesville, Ind.-born Rex Todhunter Stout (1886-1975) pub. How Like a God. In 1934 he pub. The President Vanishes; thriller; Fer-de-Lance (Oct.); introduces detective Nero Wolfe and his asst. Archie Goodwin. In 1949 he pub. The Second Confession; anti-Communist. In 1965 he pub. The Doorbell Rang; based on the 1964 Fred J. Cook book "The FBI Nobody Knows"; Nero Wolfe takes on the FBI for trying to harass a woman for pub. a book critical of them; pisses-off J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), who tries to kill it.

Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900-38) Maxwell Perkins (1884-1947)

In 1929 Asheville, N.C.-born Thomas Clayton Wolfe (1900-38) pub. his first novel Look Homeward, Angel O Lost; title is from Milton (original title "O Lost"); ed. by William Maxwell Evart Perkins (1884-1947), who cuts 66K of 300K words and rearranges a shapeless mess of an autobio. sensitive-artist-in-a-hostile-world ms. into a classic; Eugene and Julia Gant, and Eugene's older brother Ben, who dies from pneumonia. In 1935 he pub. Of Time and the River: A Legend of Man's Hunger in His Youth; more Eugene Gant; From Death to Morning also (short stories). In 1940 You Can't Go Home Again is pub. posth.; more George Webber; his last autobio. novel. In 1941 The Hills Beyond is pub. posth.; an incomplete novel et al.

In 1930 Margaret Ayer Barnes pub. Years of Grace (Pulitzer Prize).

Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)

In 1930 Hillsoboro, W. Va.-born Pearl Sydenstricker Buck (1892-1973) pub. East Wind, West Wind. In 1931 she pub. The Good Earth, which becomes a bestseller and wins a Pulitzer Prize; Wang Lung tests his wife O-Lan by getting a concubine. In 1933 she pub. The Frill (short story). In 1934 she pub. The Mother; also Shanghai Lady (short story). In 1935 she pub. House of Earth. In 1936 she pub. The Exile. In 1938 she pub. This Proud Heart; autobio. novel. In Nov. 1938 Pocket Books enters the paperback market with a 25 cent ed. of Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth. In 1939 she pub. The Patriot. In 1940 she pub. Other Gods. In 1941 she pub. Today and Forever. In 1942 she pub. Dragon Seed. In 1943 she pub. The Promise. In 1944 she pub. The Spirit and the Flesh. In 1945 she pub. Portrait of a Marriage. In 1946 she pub. Pavilion of Women. In 1949 she pub. Kinfolk. In 1951 she pub. God's Men. In 1952 she pub. The Hidden Flower. In 1953 she pub. Come My Beloved. In 1956 she pub. Imperial Woman, about dowager empress Cixi.

John Dickson Carr (1906-77)

In 1930 Uniontown, Penn.-born mystery novelist John Dickson Carr (1906-77) pub. his first novel It Walks by Night, about detective Henri Bencolin. In 1931 he pub. Castle Skull; The Lost Gallows; more Henri Bencolin. In 1932 he pub. Poison in Jest; The Waxworks Murder (Corpse in the Waxworks); more Henri Bencolin. In 1932 he establishes permanent residence in England. In 1933 he pub. Hag's Nook; also The Mad Hatter Mystery, which introduces fat jolly lexicographer detective Dr. Gideon Fell, based on English writer G.K. Chesterton. In 1934 he pub. The Blind Barber; also Devil Kinsmere (rev. in 1964); also The Eight of Swords; also The Bowstring Murders (pub. under alias Carter Dickson); also The Plague Court Murders (pub. under alias Carter Dickson); about detective Sir Henry Merrivale; also The White Priory Murders; ditto. In 1935 he pub. Death-Watch; also The Hollow Man (The Three Coffins); also The Red Widow Murders; Sir Henry Merrivale; also The Unicorn Murders; ditto. In 1936 he pub. The Arabian Nights Murder; also The Punch and Judy Murders (The Magic Lantern Murders); Sir Henry Marrivale. In 1937 he pub. The Burning Court; also The Ten Teacups (The Peacock Feather Murders). In 1938 he pub. The Four False Weapons, Being the Return of Bencolin; also To Wake the Dead; also The Crooked Hinge; also The Black Spectacles (The Problem of the Green Capsule); also The Judas Window (The Crossbow Murder); also Death in Five Boxes. In 1939 he pub. The Problem of the Wire Cage; also Drop to His Death (Fatal Descent) (with John Rhodes); also The Reader is Warned. In 1940 he pub. The Man Who Could Not Shudder; also And So to Murder; also Murder in the Submarine Zone (Nine - And Death Makes Ten) (Murder in the Atlantic). In 1941 he pub. The Man Who Could Not Shudder; also Seeing is Believing (Cross of Murder). In 1942 he pub. The Gilded Man; also The Case of the Constant Suicides; also The Gilded Man (Death). In 1943 he pub. Death Turns the Tables (The Seat of the Scornful); also The Emperor's Snuff-Box; also She Died a Lady. In 1944 he pub. Till Death Do Us Part; He Wouldn't Kill Patience. In 1945 he pub. The Curse of the Bronze Lamp (Lord of the Sorcerers). In 1946 he pub. He Who Whispers; also My Late Wives. In 1947 he pub. The Sleeping Sphinx. In 1948 he pub. The Skeleton in the Clock. In 1949 he pub. Below Suspicion; also A Graveyard to Let. In 1950 he pub. The Bride of Newgate; also Night at the Mocking Widow. In 1951 he pub. The Devil in Velvet. In 1952 he pub. Behind the Crimson Blind; also The Nine Wrong Answers; also Behind the Crimson Blind. In 1953 he pub. The Cavalier's Cup. In 1955 he pub. Captain Cut-Throat. In 1956 he pub. Fear is the Same; Patrick Butler for the Defense; new detective. In 1957 he pub. Fire, Burn! In 1958 he pub. The Dead Man's Knock; Dr. Gideon Fell solves another locked room mystery. In 1959 he pub. Scandal at High Chimneys: A Victorian Melodrama. In 1960 he pub. In Spite of Thunder; Dr. Gideon Fell solves the case of a suicide at Berchtesgaden in 1939. In 1961 he pub. The Witch of the Low Tide: An Edwardian Melodrama; set in 1907. In 1962 he pub. The Demoniacs. In 1964 he pub. Most Secret; rev. of the 1934 novel "Devil Kinsmere". In 1965 he pub. The House at Satan's Elbow; Dr. Gideon Fell. In 1966 he pub. Panic in Box C. In 1968 he pub. Dark of the Moon; Dr. Gideon Fell; also Papa La-Bas; Sen. Judah P. Benjamin and Richard Macrae witness a devilish murder in 1858 New Orleans; "He had been conscious of disquiet for many days before anything actually happened. Then, at dusk on the evening of Wednesday, April fourteenth, a New Orleans drowned in mud-flats beside the Father of Waters..." In 1970 he pub. The Ghosts' High Noon. In 1971 he pub. Deadly Hall. In 1972 he pub. The Hungry Goblin: A Victorian Detective Novel; Wilkie Collins.

Nunnally Johnson (1897-1977)

In 1930 Columbus, Ga.-born journalist Nunnally Johnson (1897-1977) pub. There Ought to Be a Law (short stories). He soon moves to Hollywood, becoming a screenwriter and dir.

Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (1892-1982) Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (1892-1982) Nancy Drew

In 1930 Ladora, Iowa-born Carolyn Keene (Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson) (1905-2002) pub. The Secret of the Old Clock, the first novel in the ever-popular Nancy Drew series; first 26 illustrated by Russell H. Tandy; starts out with blonde hair, cloche hat, skirt suit, and heels; by the late 1950s her hair becomes "titian"; 55 sequels through 1979, then Grosset & Dunlap sells out to Simon & Schuster, and another 119 are pub. by 2007; the series shows her changing fashion styles in jumps, incl. the young prof. look in the 1940s, the June Cleaver look with neckties in the 1950s, jeans in 1956, yellow dress and bag and painted fingernails in 1961, red flip hair in the 1970s, the polo-shorts tomboy look in the 1980s with occasional frilly Gunne Sax outfit, crop tops and bouncy blond hair in the 1990s, plaids, penny loafers, and headbands in the 2007 film; pub. by Harriet Stratemeyer Adams (1892-1982), who also writes for this series and also the Hardy Boys, revising them in the 1950s-60s to remove stereotypes and bring them up to date.

Francis Van Wyck Mason (1901-78)

In 1930 Boston, Mass.-born Francis Van Wyck Mason (1901-78) pub. his first novel Seeds of Murder. In 1931 he pub. Captain Nemesis; also The Vesper Service Murders; also Fort Terror Murders. In 1932 he pub. The Yellow Arrow Murders; also Spider House; also The Branded Spy Murders. In 1933 he pub. The Shanghai Bund Murders; also The Sulu Sea Murders. In 1935 he pub. The Budapest Parade Murders; also Murder in the Senate; pub. under alias Geoffrey Coffin. In 1936 he pub. The Seven Seas Murders; also Captain North's Three Biggest Cases; also The Forgotten Fleet Mystery; pub. under alias Geoffrey Coffin. In 1937 he pub. The Hongkong Airbase Murders; also The Castle Island Case. In 1938 he pub. The Cairo Garter Murders; also Three Harbours. In June 1939 he pub. The Singapore Exile Murders. In 1940 he pub. Stars on the Sea; also The Bucharest Ballerina Murders. In 1941 he pub. Hang My Wreath; pub. under alias Ward Weaver; also Military Intelligence 8; also The Rio Casino Intrigue. In 1942 he pub. Q-Boat; also The Fighting American; also The Man from G-2. In 1944 he pub. Pilots, Man Your Planes. In 1946 he pub. Flight Into Danger; also Saigon Singer. In 1948 he pub. Eagle in the Sky. In 1949 he pub. Cutlass Empire; also Dardanelles Derelict. In 1950 he pub. Valley Forge: 24 December 1777. In 1951 he pub. Proud New Flags. In 1952 he pub. Himalayan Assignment. In 1953 he pub. Golden Admiral; also The Winter at Valley Forge; also Wild Drums Beat.

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967)

In 1930 witty Long Branch, N.J.-born poet Dorothy Rothschild "Dot" "Dottie" Parker (1893-1967) pub. Laments for the Living (short stories). In 1933 she pub. After Such Pleasures (short stories). In 1936 she pub. Not So Deep As A Well (short stories). In 1939 she pub. Here Lies (short stories).

Kenneth Lewis Roberts (1885-1957)

In 1930 Kennebunk, Maine-born Kenneth Lewis Roberts (1885-1957) pub. Arundel; first in the Chronicles of Arundel U.S. historical novel series; causes the name Arundel to be used for a Maine town. In 1931 he pub. The Lively Lady. In 1933 he pub. Rabble in Arms. In 1934 he pub. Captain Caution; last in the Chronicles of Arundel. In 1937 he pub. Northwest Passage; bestseller about the Oct. 4, 1759 massacre of the Abenakis at Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Quebec by Rogers' Rangers; filmed in 1940 by King Vidor starring Spencer Tracy. In 1940 he pub. Oliver Wiswell. In 1946 he pub. Lydia Bailey. In 1956 he pub. Boon Island.

Frank Waters (1902-95)

In 1930 Colorado Springs, Colo.-born Frank Waters (1902-95) pub. his first novel Fever Pitch (Lizard Woman). In 1935 he pub. The Wild Earth's Nobility. In 1937 he pub. Below Grass Roots. In 1939 he pub. The Wild Earth's Nobility. In 1940 he pub. Dust Within the Rock. In 1941 he pub. People of the Valley. In 1942 he pub. The Man Who Killed the Deer. In 1942 he and Houston Branch pub. River Lady. In 1947 he pub. The Yogi of Cockroach Court. In 1948 he and Houston Branch pub. Diamond Head.

Stewart Edward White (1873-1946)

In 1930 Grand Rapids, Mich.-born Stewart Edward White (1873-1946), known for books with his wife claiming channeling through spirits pub. The Long Rifle, first in the Andy Burnett Saga incl. Folded Hills (1932), Ranchero (1933), and Stampede, about a young Penn. farm boy escapes his mean father with Daniel Boone's rifle, is mentored by mountain man Joe Crane, and settles in Calif.

Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) Charles Phillip Ingalls (1836-1902) and Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls (1839-1924) Carrie Ingalls (1870-1946) Mary Amelia Ingalls (1865-1928) Grace Pearl Ingalls (1877-1941)

In 1930 Pepin, Wisc.-born Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) pub. Little House in the Big Woods, first in a series about her picturesque life in the Big Woods of Wisc., Injun territory in Kan., and Walnut Grove, Minn. with parents Charles Philip Ingalls (1836-1902) and Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls (1839-1924), and sisters Mary Amelia Ingalls (1865-1928) (who goes blind), Caroline Celestia "Carrie" Ingalls Swanzey (1870-1946), and Grace Pearl Ingalls Dow (1877-1941); sells 41M copies in the U.S., plus versions in 40 languages, causing her to crank out seven sequels by 1943, and an 8th pub. posth. in 1971; the Michael Landon TV series debuts in 1974. In 1935 she pub. Little House on the Prairie. In 1937 she pub. On the Banks of Plum Creek. In 1940 she pub. The Long Winter. In 1941 she pub. Little Town on the Prairie. In 1943 she pub. These Happy Golden Years. In 1954 the Am. Library Assoc. establishes the Laura Ingalls Wilder lifetime achievement award for children's writers, awarding her the first one; too bad, after leftists take over the ALA, on June 25, 2018 they remove Wilder's name from their legacy award for being too white, er, "expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC's core values", renaming it the Children's Lit. Legacy Award.

Philip Wylie (1902-71) 'Gladiator', by Philip Wylie (1902-71), 1930 Edwin Balmer (1883-1959)

In 1930 Beverly, Mass.-born Philip Gordon Wylie (1902-71) (AKA Leatrice Homesley) pub. Gladiator; a scientist invents an "alkaline free-radical" serum to give the proportionate strength and leaping ability of an ant to humans, and uses it on his son Hugo Danner; inspires the Superman comic book char.? In 1932 he pub. The Savage Gentleman; inspires the comic book char. Doc Savage. In 1933 he and Chicago, Ill.-born Edwin Balmer (1883-1959) pub. When Worlds Collide; another planet is headed toward Earth, causing it to be evacuated; filmed in 1951. In 1934 they pub. After Worlds Collide. In 1945 Wylie pub. The Paradise Center; the Nazis get even in 1965 and rule the world with atomic bombs; gets him put under house arrest by the U.S. govt. In 1951 Wylie pub. The Disappearance; the genders end up in parallel worlds.

Kay Boyle (1902-92)

In 1931 St. Paul, Minn.-born Kay Boyle (1902-92) (who lives in Europe in 1922-41) pub. her first novel Plagued by the Nightingale; also Wedding Day and Other Stories (short stories). In 1932 she pub. The Year Before Last. In 1933 she pub. Gentlemen, I Address You Privately. In 1934 she pub. My Next Bride. In 1936 she pub. The White Horses of Vienna; also Death of a Man; the threat of Nazism. In 1938 she pub. Monday Night. In 1940 she pub. Three Short Novels (The Crazy Hunter, The Bridegroom's Body, Big Fiddle). In 1942 she pub. Primer for Combat. In 1943 she pub. Avalanche. In 1946 she pub. A Frenchman Must Die; also Thirty Stories (short stories). In 1948 she pub. 1939. In 1949 she pub. His Human Majesty. In 1951 she pub. Smoking Mountain; stories of postwar Germany. In 1955 she pub. The Seagull on the Step. In 1960 she pub. Generation Without Farewell. In 1975 she pub. The Underground Woman; a female classics prof. is jailed for demonstrating against the draft.

Robert Cantwell (1908-78)

In 1931 Little Falls, Wash.-born Robert Emmett Cantwell (1908-78) pub. his first novel Laugh and Lie Down. In 1934 he pub. The Land of Plenty, about labor troubles in a door factory in a lumber mill town (Aberdeen, Wash.?).

Countee Cullen (1903-46) Arna Wendell Bontemps (1902-73) Langston Hughes (1902-67)

In 1931 New York City-born Harlem Renaissance leader Countee Cullen (1903-46) pub. his first novel One Way to Heaven. In 1940 he pub. The Lost Zoo. In 1946 he and Alexandria, La.-born Arna Wendell Bontemps (1902-73) pub. St. Louis Woman. In 1947 On These I Stand is pub. posth. Meanwhile in 1931 Bontemps pub. God Sends Sunday. In 1932 he and Joplin, Mo.-born James Mercer Langston Hughes (1902-67) pub. Popo and Fifina, Children of Haiti. In 1934 Bontemps pub. You Can't Pet a Possum. In 1936 he pub. Black Thunder. In 1937 he pub. Sad-Faced Boy. In 1939 he pub. Drums at Dusk. In 1943 he and Jack Conroy (1898-1990) pub. The Fast Sooner Hound. In 1945 he pub. We Have Tomorrow. In 1946 he and Conroy pub. Slappy Hooper, the Wonderful Sign Painter. In 1951 they pub. Sam Patch, the High, Wide and Handsome Jumper. In 1955 he pub. Lonesome Boy. In 1970 he pub. Mr. Kelso's Lion. Meanwhile in 1930 Hughes pub. his first novel Not Without Laughter In 1934 he pub. The Ways of White Folks (short stories). In 1935 he pub. Mulatto. In 1940 he pub. Simple Speaks His Mind. In 1942 he pub. Laughing to Keep from Crying. In 1953 Sen. Joseph McCarthy convinces the U.S. State Dept. to purge books by Langston Hughes (1902-67), Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-80) in U.S.-run libraries abroad, pressuring Ike to go along with the practice in a press conference, although he later blows up in private with White House press secy. James Hagerty, comparing McCarthy to Hitler; at a commencement at Dartmouth College, Ike utters the soundbyte: "Don't join the book burners. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book" - he's already censored the bad books for you? In 1957 he pub. Simple Stakes a Claim. In 1957 he pub. Tambourines to Glory; Essie Belle Johnson and Laura Reed open a storefront church in Harlem. In 1959 he pub. Selected Poems, withholding his Communist-leaning poems after a brush with Joseph McCarthy in 1953? In 1961 he pub. The Best of Simple. In 1965 he pub. Simple's Uncle Sam.

Catherine Gordon (1895-1981)

In 1931 Todd County, Ky.-born Catherine Ferguson Gordon (1895-1981) pub. Penhally. In 1932 she pub. Aleck Maury, Sportsman. In 1934 she wins 2nd place in the O. Henry competition for Old Red, with 17 others coming in 3rd incl. John Steinbeck and William Faulkner. In 1937 she pub. None Shall Look Back; also The Garden of Adonis. In 1941 she pub. Green Centuries. In 1944 she pub. The Women on the Porch. In 1945 she pub. The Forest of the South. In 1951 she pub. The Strange Children.

James Thurber (1894-1961)

In 1931 Columbus, Ohio-born James Thurber (1894-1961) pub. The Owl in the Attic and Other Perpexities. In 1936 he pub. Bateman Comes Home, a parody of Old South lit., esp. Erskine Caldwell; "If you keep on long enough, it turns into a novel." In 1939 he pub. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, about a brilliant naval comdr. who buys overshoes in Waterbury. In 1940 he pub. Fables for Our Times. In 1943 he pub. Men, Women, and Dogs. In 1945 he pub. The Thurber Carnival; also The White Deer.

Nathanael West (1903-40)

In 1931 New York City-born Nathanael West (Nathaniel von Wallenstein Weinstein) (1903-40) (who changed his name to West on the advice of Horace Greeley?) pub. The Dream Life of Balso Snell. In 1933 he pub. Miss Lonelyhearts; male New York Post-Dispatch columnist. In 1934 he pub. A Cool Million: The Dismantling of Lemuel Pitkin; the downside of the Horatio Alger story. In 1939 he pub. The Day of the Locust; Hollywood during the Great Depression; set painter Tod Hackett (dead hack?) does "The Burning of Los Angeles". On Dec. 22, 1940 he dies near El Centro, Calif. after running a stop sign the day after his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald dies; his new wife Eileen McKenny, protagonist of her sister's play "My Sister Eileen" dies with him.

James T. Farrell (1904-79)

In 1932 Chicago, Ill.-born James Thomas Farrell (Gael. "hero") (1904-79) pub. his first novel Young Lonigan: A Boyhood in Chicago Streets, #1 in the Studs Lonigan series, which later inspires Norman Mailer to become a writer. In 1933 he pub. Gas-House McGinty. In 1934 he pub. Calico Shoes; also The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan. In 1936 he pub. A World I Never Made. In 1937 he pub. Can All This Grandeur Perish? and Other Stories. In 1938 he pub. No Star is Lost. In 1939 he pub. Tommy Gallagher's Crusade. In 1940 he pub. Father and Son. In 1941 he pub. Decision; also Ellen Rogers. In 1942 he pub. My Days of Anger. In 1946 he pub. Bernard Clare. In 1949 he pub. The Road Between. In 1950 he pub. An American Dream Girl; also The Name is Fogarty: Private Papers on Public Matters. In 1951 he pub. This Man and This Woman. In 1952 he pub. Yet Other Waters. In 1953 he pub. The Face of Time.

Vance Randolph (1892-1980)

In 1932 Pittsburg, Kan.-born Vance Randolph (1892-1980) pub. Ozark Mountain Folks. In 1933 he pub. From an Ozark Holler (short stories). In 1935 he pub. Hedwig. In 1951 he pub. We Always Lie to Strangers (short stories). In 1952 he pub. Who Blowed Up the Church House? (short stories).

In 1932 Bradford Ropes pub. 42nd Street; filmed in 1933.

Damon Runyon (1880-1946)

In 1932 Manhattan, Kan.-born Alfred Damon Runyon (1880-1946) pub. Guys and Dolls.

Israel Joshua Singer (1893-1944)

In 1932 Poland-born Israel Joshua Singer (1893-1944) (brother of Isaac Bashevis Singer) pub. Yoshe Kalb.

Hervey Allen (1889-1949)

In 1933 Pittsburgh, Penn.-born William Hervey Allen (1889-1949) pub. Anthony Adverse, a 1,224-page bestseller about the Napoleonic period; sells 1.5M copies in the U.S.

Howard Fast (1914-2003)

In 1933 New York City-born Howard Melvin Fast (1914-2003) pub. his first novel Two Valleys. In 1934 he pub. Strange Yesterday. In 1937 he pub. Place in the City. In 1939 he pub. Conceived in Liberty: A Novel of Valley Forge. In 1941 he pub. The Last Frontier. In 1942 he pub. The Unvanquished. In 1943 he pub. Citizen Tom Paine. In 1944 he pub. Freedom Road. In 1946 he pub. The American: A Middle Western Legend. In 1947 he pub. Clarkton, about a strike in a Mass. factory in 1945; also The Children. In 1948 he pub. My Glorious Brothers. In 1950 he pub. The Proud and the Free. In 1951 he pub. Spartacus; written while in jail in 1950 for contempt of Congress; filmed in 1960 starring Kirk Douglas. In 1954 he pub. Silas Timberman. In 1959 he pub. The Winston Affair. In 1960 he pub. The Golden River. In 1961 he pub. April Morning; a teenager witnesses the Apr. 19, 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. In 1962 he pub. Power. In 1964 he pub. Agrippa's Daughter. In 1966 he pub. Torquemada. In 1967 he pub. The Case of the Angry Actress (original title "Samantha") under the alias E.V. Cunninham, #1 in the Beverly Hills detective Masao Masuto Mystery Series. In 1971 he pub. The Crossing, about the Dec. 25-26, 1776 Delaware Crossing and Battle of Trenton. In 1972 he pub. The Hessian. In 1977 he pub. The Immigrants; Italian-Am. Dan Lavette survives the San Francisco earthquake and becomes wealthy in the shipping industry, getting hooked up with Irish and Chinese families. In 1978 he pub. Second Generation (Sept. 30); Dan Lavette from the Depression to the end of WWII. In 1981 he pub. The Legacy. In 1982 he pub. Max; Max Britsky of East Side New York City. In 1984 he pub. The Outsider. In 1985 he pub. The Immigrant's Daughter. In Jan. 1987 he pub. The Dinner Party; Sen Richard Cromwell. In 1988 he pub. The Pledge. In 1989 he pub. The Confession of Joe Cullen; Jewish NYC police Lt. Mel Freedman takes on a Washington-run Central Am. cocaine operation. In 1990 he pub. Bunker Hill. In 1993 he pub. The Trail of Abigail Goodman. In 1994 he pub. Seven Days in June; the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. In 1995 he pub. The Bridge Builder's Story; Scott Waring take a Euro honeymoon in 1939, a bad time for a Jew? In 1997 he pub. An Independent Woman. In 1999 he pub. Redemption. In 2000 he pub. Greenwich.

Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970)

In 1933 Hyde Park, N.Y.-born Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) (AKA A.A. Fair et al.) pub. The Case of the Velvet Claws, and The Case of the Sulky Girl, the first Perry Mason stories; 1-3 new stories appear every year through 1973. On Oct. 16, 1963 Perry Mason loses his only case, The Case of the Deadly Verdict; the reason is that his client withheld evidence - a signal to the JFK assassins to go ahead with their plans? On May 22, 1966 The Case of the Final Fade-Out, the final episode of the Perry Mason TV series appears, becoming the only episode in color; the Man Himself Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) appears in it; a 2nd Perry Mason series starring Monte Markham and Sharon Acker appears on TV in 1973, but only lasts 13 weeks.

Paul Horgan (1903-)

In 1933 Buffalo, N.Y.-born Paul Horgan (1903-) pub. The Fault of Angels.

Ayn Rand (1905-82)

In 1933 Russian-born Ayn Rand (Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum) (1905-82) (pr. like German "ein") pub. her first novel We the Living, in which a Russian-born Am. writer disses Soviet Communism at a time when starving Americans are friendly toward it. In 1937 she pub. Anthem; best 100-page novel? In 1943 she pub. The Fountainhead; an "overture for Atlas Shrugged"; bestseller (6.5M copies); makes her a star and fixes her financially; filmed in 1949; "Man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress"; 22-y.-o. architect "Howard Roark laughed" at the establishment, choosing to live in obscurity rather than sell out? (Frank Lloyd Wright in disguise?), meeting dream babe Dominique Francon, whom he seduces, after which she accuses him of rape, causing him to utter the soundbyte "If it was rape, it was rape by engraved invitation"; rejected by 12 pubs. before Bobbs-Merrill takes a chance; "The famous flutings on the famous columns [of the Parthenon] - what are they for? To hide the joints in wood - when columns were made of wood, only these aren't, they're marble. The triglyphs, what are they? Wood. Wooden beams, the way they had to be laid when people began to build wooden shacks. Your Greeks took marble and they made copies of their wooden structures out of it, becuase others had done it that way. Then your masters of the Renaissance came along and made copies in plaster of copies in marble of copies in wood. Now here we are, making copies in steel and concrete of copies in plaster of copies in marble of copies in wood... Here are my rules: what can be done with one substance must never be done with another. No two materials are alike. No two sites on earth are alike. No two buildings have the same purpose. The purpose, the site, the material determine the shape." In Mar. 1957 she pub. her last novel Atlas Shrugged (645K words); "The role of the mind in man's existence - and, as a corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest", "Mystery Worker" John Galt invents a car that runs on static electricity, then sets out to "stop the motor of the world" after getting pissed-off at corporate communism, leading the strikers against the looters from Galt's Gulch retreat in the Colo. mountains, while Dagny Taggart searches for him always asking "Who is John Galt?", ending up as his lover, after which he gives a 3-hour speech on Rand's "rationally selfish" philosophy of heroes-are-made-born-whatever Objectivism, which boosts her fan base incl. Alan Greenspan, helping her to turn Objectivism into a movement; "Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter" - which reminds me of Madame Something's quote about wealth being a great goal but not a such a great destination?

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896-1953)

In 1933 Washington, D.C.-born Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896-1953) pub. South Moon Under. In 1938 she pub. the bestseller The Yearling, about a man and his fawn-loving son in post-Civil War Fla., which wins a Pulitzer Prize; filmed in 1946. In 1953 she pub. The Sojourner, in which Asahel Linden looks for his brother Ben.

James M. Cain (1892-1977)

On Feb. 19, 1934 Annapolis, Md.-born James Mallahan Cain (1892-1977) pub. his first novel The Postman Always Rings Twice; filmed in 1946; "The reigning hot taboo novel before 'Forever Amber'" (Tom Wolfe). In 1936 he pub. Double Indemnity; serialized in Liberty Mag. in Feb.-Mar.; filmed in 1944. In 1937 he pub. Serenade. In 1941 he pub. Mildred Pierce, in which a struggling divorced Glendale, Calif. woman starts a chicken and waffle restaurant while juggling boyfriends and her wayward daughter Vedo; filmed in 1945. In 1942 he pub. Love's Lovely Counterfeit. In 1943 he pub. Three of a Kind. In 1947 he pub. The Butterfly. In 1948 he pub. Sinful Woman; also The Moth. In 1950 he pub. Jealous Woman. In 1953 he pub. Galatea. In 1954 he pub. The Root of His Evil. In 1962 he pub. Mignon (first novel since 1954). In 1965 he pub. The Magician's Wife; Clay Lockwood falls for a murderous woman.

Jean Harlow (1911-37)

In 1934 actress Jean Harlow (1911-37) writes her first and only novel Today is Tonight, which is pub. posth. in 1965; Judy Landsdowne doesn't want her blind husband Peter to know she's working in a nightclub to make ends meet, so she reverses his sense of time, serving him breakfast at night, etc.

William Keepers Maxwell Jr. (1908-2000)

In 1934 Lincoln, Ill.-born William Keepers Maxwell Jr. (1908-2000) pub. Bright Center of Heaven. In 1936-76 he becomes fiction ed. of The New Yorker. In 1937 he pub. They Came Like Swallows; the 1918 flu epidemic. In 1945 he pub. The Folded Leaf. In 1946 he pub. The Heavenly Tenants (short stories). In 1948 he pub. Time Will Darken It.

Henry Miller (1891-1980)

In 1934 New York City-born Henry Miller (1891-1980) pub. Tropic of Cancer; written in exile in Paris; about how modern civilization is diseased, and to be healthy again one must win one's freedom from society and return to glorifying the self and the senses; banned by the U.S. until 1961. In 1939 he pub. Tropic of Capricorn, sequel to "Tropic of Cancer" (1934), waxing lyrical about the U.S. cultural wasteland. In 1949 he pub. Sexus, Plexus, and Nexus, a 3-vol. autobio. called "The Rosy Crucifixion"; full of sex scenes, causing a scandal after it is pub. in France, causing publisher Maurice Girodias to end up in jail and go bankrupt.

John O'Hara (1905-70)

In 1934 Pottsville, Penn.-born John Henry O'Hara (1905-70) pub. his first novel Appointment in Samarra, about small-town politics; makes Ernest Hemingway a fan, although the lit. world later turns on him? In 1935 he pub. BUtterfield 8; filmed in 1960. In 1938 he pub. Hope of Heaven. In 1939 he pub. Pal Joey; filmed in 1957. In 1945 he pub. Pipe Night (short stories). In 1947 he pub. Hellbox (short stories). In 1949 he pub. A Rage to Live. In 1951 he pub. The Farmers Hotel. In 1955 he pub. Ten North Frederick. In 1958 he pub. From the Terrace; the sex-and-power-filled rise of banking tycoon Alfred Eaton (b. 1897). In 1962 he pub. The Big Laugh, about Hollyweird's Golden Age and its phoniness. In 1963 he pub. Elizabeth Appleton; a Penn. history prof. marries a society woman. In 1965 he pub. The Lockwood Concern. In 1969 he pub. Lovey Childs: A Philadelphian's Story.

William Saroyan (1908-81) Carol Matthau (1925-2003)

In 1934 Fresno, Calif.-born William Saroyan (1908-81) (son of Armenian immigrants) pub. his first novel The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze. In 1940 he debuts the play The Time of Your Life, refusing a Pulitzer Prize. In 1941 he pub. Fables. In 1943 he pub. The Human Comedy; same title as a Balzac novel; based on Homer's "Odyssey"; young telegraph messenger Homer in Ithaca (really Fresno), Calif. during WWII, his younger brother Ulysses, and his babe Helen Eliot; starts out as a screenplay for Louis B. Mayer that got too long. In 1946 he pub. The Adventures of Wesley Jackson. In 1955 Carol Matthau (1925-2003) pub. The Secret in the Daisy, an autobio. novel about her cruddy marriage to alcoholic William Saroyan (1908-81), pub. under the alias Carol Grace. In 1957 he pub. The Cave Dwellers. In 1963 he pub. Boys and Girls Together. In 1964 he pub. One Day in the Afternoon; sequel to "Boys and Girls Together" (1963). In 1972 he pub. Places Where I've Done Time. In 1973 he pub. Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon.

Irving Stone (1903-89)

In 1934 San Francisco, Calif.-born Irving Stone (Tennenbaum) (1903-89) pub. his first novel Lust for Life, about Vincent Van Gogh; rejected by 17 publishers until Vanguard (New York City) takes a chance, and it becomes an instant hit, putting him into the historical bio. novel biz.; filmed in 1956 starring Kirk Douglas. In 1943 he pub. They Also Ran. In 1947 he pub. Adversary in the House, about Kate Debs, wife of Eugene V. Debs, who opposed Socialism. In 1949 he pub. The Passionate Journey, about Wild West painter John "Wichita Bill" Noble (1874-1934). In 1950 he pub. Immortal Wife, about Jessie Benton Fremont (1824-1902), wife of "the Great Pathfinder" John Charles Fremont (1813-90). In 1954 he pub. Love is Eternal, about Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. On Mar. 16, 1961 he pub. the bestseller The Agony and the Ecstasy, about Michelangelo (1475-1564); filmed in 1965 starring Charlton Heston. In 1971 he pub. Passions of the Mind: A Novel of Sigmund Freud. In 1975 he pub. The Greek Treasure, about Troy discoverer Heinrich Schliemann (1822-90). In 1980 he pub. The Origin: A Biographical Novel of Charles Darwin. In 1985 he pub. Depths of Glory: A Biographical Novel of Camille Pisarro, about painter Camille Pissarro (1830-1903).

Nelson Algren (1909-81)

In 1935 Detroit, Mich.-born Nelson Algren (1909-81) pub. his first novel Somebody in Boots. In 1942 he pub. Never Come Morning, about a doomed young criminal, which pisses-off the Polish community in Chicago, causing it to be banned by the Chicago Public Library; after he dies they stop Chicago from renaming West Evergreen St. (where he lived at #1958) after him, although they let them name a fountain in the Polish Triangle after him. In 1949 he pub. The Man With the Golden Arm, about junkie musician Frankie Machine; filmed in 1955 starring Frank Sinatra. In 1951 he pub. Chicago, City on the Make, which shows the seamy side of Polish Chicago, pissing-off the powers that be; "For the masses who do the city's labor and also keep the city's heart"; the Chicago Tribune calls it a "highly scented object", then after he dies flops and establishes the Nelson Algren Award for Short Fiction. In 1956 he pub. A Walk on the Wild Side; Dove Linkhorn tries to rescue ho Hallie Gerard; incl. "Algren's Three Rules of Life": "Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom's. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own."

Harold Lenoir Davis (1896-1960)

In 1935 Yoncalla, Ore.-born former cowboy, typesetter, surveyor, and poet Harold Lenoir Davis (1896-1960) listens to H.L. Mencken's advice and pub. his first novel Honey in the Horn, about Oregon Territory in the homesteading days, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1941 he pub. Harp of a Thousand Strings. In 1949 he pub. Beulah Land. In 1952 he pub. Winds of Morning. In 1953 he pub. Team Bells Woke Me and Other Stories.

In 1935 Sedalia, Mo.-born Charles G. Finney (1905-84) pub. his first novel The Circus of Dr. Lao, set in Abalone, Ariz.; his seven faces are Dr. Lao, Merlin, Medusa, Pan, Apollonius, Great Serpent, Abominable Snowman. In 1937 he pub. The Unholy City. In 1939 he pub. Past the End of the Pavement (short stories).

Horace McCoy (1897-1955)

In 1935 Nashville, Tenn.-born Horace McCoy (1897-1955) (likes to write standing up) pub. his first novel They Shoot Horses, Don't They?; filmed in 1969. In 1937 he pub. No Pockets in a Shroud. In 1948 he pub. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.

Mari Sandoz (1896-1966)

In 1935 Hay Springs, Neb.-born Mari Susette Sandoz (1896-1966) pub. Old Jules; based on the life of her dead daddy, which was rejected by every major pub. house in the U.S. until she won a contest held by Atlantic Press. In 1937 she pub. Slogum House; pisses-off rural Nebraskans, causing her to receive hate mail. In 1939 she pub. Capital City; pisses-off citizens of Lincoln, Neb., causing her to move to Denver, Colo. then New York City.

Robert Ardrey (1908-80)

In 1936 Chicago, Ill.-born Robert Ardrey (1908-80) pub. Star Spangled. In 1938 he pub. Casey Jones; also God and Texas; also How to Get Tough About It. In 1944 he pub. World's Beginning. In 1946 he pub. Jeb. In 1952 he pub. The Brotherhood of Fear. He later becomes an anthropologist and proponent of the killer-ape theory.

Djuna Barnes (1892-1982)

In 1936 Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.-born bi poet-novelist Djuna Barnes (1892-1982) pub. Nightwood; intro. by T.S. Eliot; Am. expatriate Catholic convert somnambulist Robin Vote, her Jewish Viennese hubby Felix Volkbein, her puritan Protestant lover Nora Flood, and their Irish Catholic gay friend Dr. Matthew O'Connor; lez themes help make it a cult hit.

Sally Benson (1897-1972)

In 1936 St. Louis, Mo.-born Sally Benson (1897-1972) (AKA Esther Evarts) pub. People Are Fascinating (short stories). In 1937 she pub. Emily (short stories). In 1940 she pub. Stories of the Gods and Heroes (short stories). In 1941 she pub. Junior Miss (short stories). In 1942 she pub. Meet Me in St. Louis (short stories); original title "5135 Kensington". In 1943 she pub. Women and Children First (short stories).

Munro Leaf (1905-76)

In 1936 Hamilton, Md.-born Wilbur Munro Leaf (1905-76) pub. The Story of Ferdinand; illustrated by Robert Lawson (1892-1957); a children's story written in less than an hour about a gentle bull in Spain who prefers smelling flowers to bullfighting, pissing off the Nazis and Spanish Fascists, who ban it, making it an internat. pacifist hit.

D'Arcy McNickle (1904-77)

In 1936 Mont.-born half-Irish half-Cree Metis William D'Arcy McNickle (1904-77) pub. his first novel The Surrounded; an Oxford-educated anthropologist working for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Margaret Mitchell (1900-49)

On June 30, 1936 Atlanta, Ga.-born Margaret Mitchell (1900-49) pub. the mega-bestseller Gone With the Wind, which comes in at 3 lbs., 1037 pages for $3.00; written by an Atlanta, Ga. newspaperwoman starting with the last chapter by 1929 on a Remington typewriter, then discovered by Macmillian pub. Howard Latham on a tour of the South looking for promising writers, which she gives to him after gathering it up from crumbling envelopes, with no chapter 1; in July Selznik Internat. Pictures purchases it for $50K, the largest price ever paid for a first novel, and it sells 1.5M copies the first year; "Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were. But it was an arresting face, pointed of chin, squaare of jaw. Her eyes were pale green without a touch of hazel, starred with bristly black lashes and slightly tilted at the ends. Above them, her thick black brows slanted upward, cutting a startling oblique line in her magnolia-white skin - that skin so prized by Southern women" (opening lines); in the early drafts 13-in.-waist pale-green-eyed "arresting face" French-Irish Scarlett O'Hara of Tara was called Pansy of Fontenoy Hall; the original title was "Tomorrow is Another Day" or "Tote the Weary Load"; title is taken from line 1 stanza 3 of the poem Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae by Ernest Dowson: "I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind"; "Was Tara standing, or was Tara gone with the wind which had swept through Georgia?" (p. 390); Scarlett's first hubby is loser Charles Hamilton, who sleeps on a divan during the honeymoon and dies in the war, and with whom she has timid son Wade Hampton Hamilton; her 2nd hubby is rich lumberman Charles Kennedy, with whom she has silly ugly daughter Ella Lorena Kennedy; her 3rd is dapper ho-loving Rhett Butler, who dumps her because frankly my dear I don't give a damn after their darling daughter Eugene Victoria "Bonnie Blue" Butler is killed in a horse accident, Melanie Hamilton dies, and Scarlett realizes she didn't really love that Ashley Wilkes she's been holding over his head forever; "After all, tomorrow is another day!" (closing line); Rhett Butler calls Charleston, S.C. "the South, only intensified".

Eudora Welty (1909-2001)

In 1936 Jackson, Miss.-born Eudora Welty (1909-2001) pub. her debut short story Death of a Traveling Salesman in Manuscript mag. In 1941 she pub. the story The Worn Path. In 1942 she pub. The Robber Bridegroom. In 1946 she pub. Delta Wedding. In 1949 she pub. The Golden Apples. In 1954 she pub. The Ponder Heart. In 1970 she pub. Losing Battles; three generations of Granny Vaughn's descendants gather at her Miss. home to celebrate her 90th birthday, and swap stories. In 1972 she pub. the autobio. novel The Optimist's Daughter, which wins a Pulitzer Prize.

Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962)

In 1937 Tirol, Austria-born children's writer Ludwig Bemelmans (1898-1962) pub. My War with the United States; also By the Waters of Babylon. In 1938 he pub. Life Class; based on his 10 years working in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York City, working up from busboy to asst mgr. In 1939 he pub. Hotel Splendide; also Madeline; "In an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines... the smallest one was Madeline"; Miss Clavel the nun, next door neighbor Pepito, son of the Spanish ambassador, Lord "Cucuface" Covington, owner of the house, the dog Genevieve. In 1940 he pub. Small Beer. In 1942 he pub. Rosebud. In 1944 he pub. Dirty Eddie. In 1946 he pub. Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. In 1950 he pub. Sunshine; grumpy old landlord Mr. Sunshine. In 1952 he pub. How to Travel Incognito. In 1953 he pub. Father, Dear Father.

L. Ron Hubbard (1911-86) L. Ron Hubbard (1911-86) and Mary Sue Hubbard (1931-2002) Jack Parsons (1914-52) Marjorie Cameron (1922-95)

On July 30, 1937 Tilden-Neb.-born sci-fi writer Lafayette Ronald "L. Ron" Hubbard (1911-86) pub. his first hardback book Buckskin Brigades, based on his alleged childhood experience with Blackfoot medicine man Old Tom, who he claims made him a blood brother of the tribe. In 1940 he pub. Final Blackout. In Jan.-Mar. 1946 Los Angeles, Calif.-born John "Jack" (Marvel) Whiteside Parsons (1914-52), a cofounder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and a Thelema disciple unsuccessfully attempts to father a Moonchild with Belle Plaine, Iowa-born redhead Marjorie Cameron (1922-95) while performing the Babalon Working rituals along with Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in an attempt to manifest the archetypal divine femine called Babalon; after being investigated by the FBI and losing his defense contracts, Parsons is killed in a home lab accident, causing allegations of a govt. hit. On Nov. 7, 1948 he utters the soundbyte "You don't get rich writing science fiction - if you want to get rich, you start a religion" at the Eastern Science Fiction Assoc. No doubt about it, the Americans have the coolest cults? On May 9, 1950 he pub. Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, becoming the founding holy book of the scam? Satanic? Church of Scientology; it talks about "engrams", which are memories stored during periods of unconsciousness (post-natal or pre-natal), not accessible afterward by the consciousness, but which can bite back by giving primal commands that "aberrate" (depart from rational thought or behavior) and are "the very stuff of which insanity is made"; by the Dianetic (Greek for through-soul) process of "auditing" one individual can "clear" another of his engrams, raising his IQ and making him rational and responsible; it stays on the New York Times bestseller list for 26 weeks, and sparks "the fastest growing movement in the U.S." (Los Angeles Daily News); Hubbard forms the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation in Elizabeth, N.J., founds six Dianetics centers nationwide, and in Aug. speaks to 6K at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A., going on the radio in Dec. on 126 stations; in 1951 he advises silence in the delivery room (since engrams can be accidentally created) and the laying of the newborn on the mother's abdomen before cutting the chord - just wait till they quote their prices? Cult members are eventually taught the weird doctrine of Xenu, the dictator of the Galactic Confederacy 75M years ago, who brought billions of his people to Teegeeack (Earth), then killed them using H-bombs, their essences haunting modern people. In 1951 he pub. Fear; also Typewriter in the Sky. In 1953 he pub. Ole Doc Methuselah. In 1960 he pub. Have You Lived Before This Life?. On Apr. 28, 1973 the Church of Scientology begins the secret Snow White Program to find and remove "false" government files about itself and its founder L. Ron Hubbard, becoming known for excesses, stinking itself up and raising questions about its tax-exempt status as a religion. On July 7, 1977 the FBI raids the world HQ of the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles, Calif., and discovers evidence that they were conspiring to infiltrate, burglarize, and bug offices of the IRS and U.S. Dept. of Justice, along with a 19-page plan to sabotage IRS investigations that they called Operation Snow White, becoming the largest infiltration of the U.S. govt. in history, with up to 5K secret agents; 11 Scientologists incl. Mary Sue Hubbard (1931-2002), 3rd wife (1952-86) of founder L. Ron Hubbard (1911-86) are later convicted. In 1985 he pub. Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000; (1.2M words); longest pub. English novel so far?; vol. 1 of the 10-vol. "decalogy" Mission Earth (1985-7); John Goodboy Tyler vs. the hairy 9-ft.-tall 1K-lb. Psychlos in the Rocky Mts. near Denver, Colo., incl. Terl; filmed in 2000, becoming known as "one of the worst films ever made" - TLW likes the novel?

John P. Marquand (1893-1960)

In 1937 Wilmington, Del.-born John P. Marquand (1893-1960) pub. The Late George Apley, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1949 he pub. Point of No Return.

Wallace Stegner (1909-83)

In 1937 Lake Mills, Iowa-born Wallace Earle Stegner (1909-83) ("Dean of Western Writers") pub. his first novel Remembering Laughter, about a love triangle between a farmer, his wife, and her sister. In 1938 he pub. The Potter's House. In 1940 he pub. On a Darkling Plain. In 1941 he pub. Fire and Ice. In 1943 he pub. The Big Rock Candy Mountain; autobio. novel about Bo Mason and his wife Elsa and son Bruce in early 19th cent. U.S.; followed by "Recapitulation" (1979). In 1946 he founds the Stanford Creative Writing Program at Stanford U. In 1947 he pub. Second Growth. In 1950 he pub. The Preacher and the Slave (Joe Hill: A Biographical Novel). In Dec. 3, 1960 he pub. Wilderness Letter, which helps get the 1964 U.S. Wilderness Act get passed. In 1961 he pub. A Shooting Star; Sabrina Castro cheats on her hubby. In 1962 he pub. Wolf Willow. In 1967 he pub. All the Little Live Things; Joe and Ruth Allston are disrupted by a hippie who builds a treehouse on their property in Calif. In 1971 he pub. Angle of Repose (Pulitzer Prize); his masterpiece?; based on the letters of Western novelist Mary Hallock Foote (1847-1938). In 1976 he pub. The Spectator Bird; retired lit. agent Joe Allston recalls a trip to Denmark 20 years earlier to find his roots, and reads a journal about a noble Danish family that was into incest and eugenics. In 1979 he pub. Recapitulation; sequel to "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (1943); successful diplomat Bruce Mason returns to his childhood home of Utah to face his anger. In 1987 he pub. Crossing to Safety; Sid and Charity befriend novelist Larry Morgan and Sally.

Dr. Seuss (1904-91) 'The Cat in the Hat' by Dr. Seuss (1904-91), 1957

In 1937 Springfield, Mass.-born Dr. Seuss (Theodor "Ted" Seuss Geisel) (1904-91) pub. his first novel And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street after it was rejected by 23 publishers before an old college friend from New York's Vanguard Press was bumped into on Madison Ave.? In 1938 he pub. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins; written in prose; King Derwin of Didd; his 500th hat finally stays off; followed by sequel "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" (1949). In 1940 he pub. Horton Hatches the Egg. In 1950 he pub. If I Ran the Zoo, which coins the word "nerd". In 1957 he pub. The Cat in the Hat (Mar.); 1,626 words long; uses only 236 different words (word with most syllables = "another"); written in anapestic (..-) tetrameter; latch-key kids Sally and her older brother (the narrator) are visited by the Cat, Thing One and Thing Two. In 1960 he pub. Green Eggs and Ham, which uses only 53 different words. On Dec. 23, 1966 CBS-TV broadcasts Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, narrated by Boris Karloff, becoming an annual Xmas tradition. In 1985 he pub. You're Only Old Once: A Book for Obsolete Children.

Jerome Weidman (1913-98)

In 1937 New York City-born Jerome Weidman (1913-98) pub. the bestseller I Can Get It For You Wholesale, about the New York City garment industry. In 1938 he pub. What's In It For Me? In 1946 he pub. Too Early to Tell.

Dorothy Baker (1907-68)

In 1938 Missoula, Mont.-born novelist Dorothy Baker (nee Doods) (1907-68) pub. her first novel Young Man with a Horn, based on the life of jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke; filmed in 1950 starring Kirk Douglas.

Taylor Caldwell (1900-85)

In 1938 Manchester, England-born Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell (1900-85) pub. her first novel Dynasty of Death, about two Penn. armament manufacturing families before the U.S. Civil War; after it is revealed that the author is a woman, she becomes a celeb.; filmed in 1941 as "Tobacco Road". In 1940 she pub. the sequel The Eagles Gather. In 1941 she pub. The Earth is the Lord's; about Genghis Khan; also Time No Longer (under alias Max Reiner). In 1942 she pub. The Strong City, about German immigrants to the U.S. In 1943 she pub. The Arm and the Darkness. In 1944 she pub. The Final Hour, sequel to "The Eagles Gather". In 1945 she pub. The Wide House, about intolerance. In 1946 she pub. This Side of Innocence. In 1948 she pub. Melissa. In 1949 she pub. Let Love Come Last, about the failure of parental discipline. In 1951 she pub. The Balance Wheel; more German immigrants. In 1952 she pub. The Devil's Advocate. In 1954 she pub. Never Victorious, Never Defeated. In 1955 she pub. Tender Victory. In 1959 she pub. Dear and Glorious Physician, about St. Luke the Evangelist. In 1962 she pub. A Prologue to Love. In 1965 she pub. A Pillar of Iron; about Roman senator Cicero. In 1967 she pub. Dialogues with the Devil; Lucifer and Michael the Archangel correspond. In 1976 she pub. Captains and the Kings: The Story of an American Dynasty; the Council on Foreign Relations and internat. corps. messed up the world, and somebody (like JFK) tried to break free and got assassinated. In 1978 she pub. Bright Flows the River; a rags-to-riches man tries to kill himself in his car. In June 1985 she pub. her last novel Answer As a Man. She sold 30M copies.

John Fante (1909-83)

In 1938 Denver, Colo.-born John Fante (1909-83) ("the Italian-American Hemingway") pub. his first novel Wait Until Spring, Bandini. In 1939 he pub. Ask the Dust; "The best novel ever written about Los Angeles" (film dir. Robert Towne); starving writer Arturo Bandino and a Mexican-Am. waitress. In 1952 he pub. Full of Life.

In 1938 Ruth McKenney pub. My Sister Eileen; two sisters from Ohio try to make it in New York City; based on her sister Eileen McKenney (-1940), wife of writer Nathanael West; filmed in 1940.

Allen Tate (1899-1979)

In 1938 Winchester, Ky.-born poet John Orley Allen Tate (1899-1979) pub. his first novel The Fathers.

Theodore Harold White (1915-86)

In 1938 Boston, Mass.-born Theodore Harold White (1915-86) pub. The Once and Future King: The Sword in the Stone; how Merlin lives backwards in time because he was born "at the wrong end of time"; "Some people call it having second sight."

Auschwitz Camp Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949) Raphael Lemkin (1900-59)

On Sept. 1, 1939 - Sept. 2, 1945 the horrific $3.5T World War II resulted in 24M military and 49M civilian deaths, and featured the low point of the Jewish Holocaust (Shoah) by the German Nazis, I guess it was the Jews' fault for not ransoming themselves to go to Israel before they could round them up for the camps. The whole experience turned Jews from lovers into fighters, ramping up the Zionist movement with full world sympathy and support by new world superpower U.S., which had its own guilt trip because on Nov. 24, 1942 Budapest-born Am. Zionist leader Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949) announced in a press conference in Washington, D.C. that he was authorized by the U.S. State Dept. to confirm that the Nazis had murdered 2M Jews as part of a plan to exterminate all Jews in Europe; too bad, the nat. newspapers didn't consider it front page news, and the U.S. govt. did nada. After the war ended and Americans toured the concentration camps in horror, Polish-born Jewish scholar Raphael Lemkin (1900-59), who single-handedly led an unsuccessful campaign to get the League of Nations to give internat. protections against genocide starting in 1933 finally got what he wanted after his own people got it, namely the Dec. 9, 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Gen. Assembly Resolution 260), which didn't come in force until Jan. 12, 1951, and which the U.S. still didn't ratify until 1988. By the end of WWII the U.S. was the World's Policeman, with half the world's wealth, and a Baby Boom accompanied by an economic boom created a huge mass-market for novels and everything else.

Isaac Asimov (1920-92) Frederik Pohl (1919-)

The last year that the U.S. govt. doesn't copy the Gestapo? In winter 1939 acting on tips, the U.S. Secret Service raids the home of a group calling themselves the Futurians with guns drawn, hoping to catch a counterfeiting ring; finding that it is just the home of a group of teenie fledgling science fiction authors, incl. Isaac Asimov (1920-92), and Frederik Pohl (1919-), who pub. their works on a private printing press, they quietly tuck their tails in and leave without seizing anything or arresting anybody? - wish they had iPhones to send pictures?

Raymond Chandler (1888-1959)

In 1939 51-y.-o. Chicago, Ill.-born former oil exec Raymond Thornton Chandler (1888-1959) (known for liking women to commit murder in his novels) pub. his first novel The Big Sleep, about detective Philip Marlowe and "sleeping the big sleep", becoming a hit, defining the hardboiled detective novel style; filmed in 1946 and 1978. In 1940 he pub. Farewell, My Lovely. In 1942 he pub. The High Window. In 1943 he pub. The Lady in the Lake. In 1949 he pub. The Little Sister. In 1953 he pub. his 6th novel The Long Goodbye; "The first time I laid eyes on Terry Lennox he was drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith outside the terrace of The Dancers"; written during the long terminal illness of his 18-year-older wife Cissy Chandler (1870-1954), after which he goes back to drinking and attempted suicide, and his career tanks.

Kenneth Fearing (1902-61)

In 1939 Oak Park, Ill.-born poet ("chief poet of the Am. Depression") Kenneth Flexner Fearing (1902-61) pub. The Hospital. In 1941 he pub. Dagger of the Mind. In 1942 he pub. Clark Gifford's Body. In 1946 he pub. The Big Clock. In 1948 he pub. Stranger at Coney Island. In 1951 he pub. The Loneliest Girl in the World.

Vardis Fisher (1895-1968)

In 1939 Annis, Idaho-born Vardis Fisher (1895-1968) pub. The Children of God; fictional history of the Mormons. In 1943 he pub. Darkness and the Deep; first of the 12-vol. series "The Testament of Man", tracing human thought to the present.

Perry Miller (1905-63)

In 1939 Perry Miller (1905-63) pub. vol. 1 of his epic study The New England Mind: The Seventeenth Century (vol. 2 in 1953), tracing U.S. culture to the conflict between religious and commercial values (individualism vs. community) among the Puritans.

George Rippey Stewart Jr. (1895-1980)

In 1939 Sewickley, Penn.-born historian-novelist George Rippey Stewart Jr. (1895-1980) East of the Giants. In 1941 he pub. Storm, about a Pacific storm named Maria, causing the U.S. Nat. Weather Service to begin naming tropical storms after people, and inspiring Lerner and Loewe's song "They Call the Wind Maria" from "Paint Your Wagon" (1951). In 1948 he pub. Fire, about a forest fire in the Sierra Nevada Mts. of Calif. In 1949 he pub. Earth Abides, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel about Isherwood "Ish" Williams, Emma, and the community they found in Berkeley, Calif. after civilization is destroyed by a plague; wins the first Internat. Fantasy Award in 1951.

Robert Penn Warren (1905-89)

In 1939 Guthrie, Ky.-born poet Robert Penn Warren (1905-89) pub. his first novel Night Rider. In 1943 he pub. At Heaven's Gate. In 1946 he pub. All the King's Men (Pulitzer Prize); the political novel of the U.S.?; Willie Stark, his son Tom, and his aide Jack Burden; filmed in 1949. In 1950 he pub. World Enough and Time. In 1953 he pub. Brother to Dragons: A Tale in Verse and Voices; the 1811 murder of a slave by Thomas Jefferson's nephews causes TJ to have a humanistic identity crisis? In 1955 he pub. Band of Angels. In 1959 he pub. The Cave. In 1961 he pub. Wilderness: A Tale of the Civil War; a Bavarian Jew joins the Union army. In 1971 he pub. Meet Me in the Green Glen; a Sicilian man has an affair with a Tenn. farm wife. On Feb. 11, 1977 he pub. his last novel A Place to Come To, about Jed Tewksbury, a a 60-y.-o. classics scholar from Ala. who reflects on his rise from poverty via superior intellect.

Richard Wright (1908-60) James Baldwin (1924-87)

On Mar. 1, 1940 Miss.-born Richard Wright (1908-60) pub. Native Son, about black Bigger Thomas, who kills his white sweetheart, becoming the first Book-of-the-Month Club selection by an African-Am. (next is Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon" in 1977). In 1955 James Baldwin (1924-87), who got fed up and moved to Paris in 1948 pub. Notes of a Native Son, which disses Richard Wright's "Native Son" for portraying Bigger Thomas as an angry black man and stigmatizing all black men. Baldwin's first novel (1953) Go Tell It On the Mountain, written in Paris is about a day in the life of congregation members of Harlem's storefront Temple of Fire. In 1962 Baldwin pub. Another Country; title based on a line from Christopher Marlowe's "The Jew of Malta": "Thou hast committed --/ Fornication, but that was in another country;/ And besides, the wench is dead"; bi black jazz drummer Rufus Scott ("the black corpse floating in the national psyche") leaves Harlem for the Am. South, hooks up with Southern white woman Leona, experiencing racism and taking it out on her, landing her in a mental hospital, after which he returns to Harlem and jumps off the George Washington Bridge. In 1968 Baldwin pub. Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone; a bisexual black actor with a weakness for white women and black men gets a heart attack.

Henry Bellamann (1882-1945)

In 1940 Fulton, Mo.-born Heinrich Hauer "Henry" Bellamann (1882-1945) pub. Kings Row; Parris Mitchell and Drake McHugh in the Am. South; filmed in 1942 starring Ronald Reagan.

Richard Brooks (1912-62)

In 1940 Philly-born Richard Brooks (1912-92) pub. his first novel Splinters. In 1947 he pub. The Brick Foxhole; a group of Marines pick up and murder a gay man; filmed in 1947 as "Crossfire"; the 1974 film "Crossfire" changes it to a Jewish man. He goes on to write and/or direct "Key Largo", "Blackboard Jungle", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "In Cold Blood", "Elmer Gantry", and "Looking for Mr. Goodbar", and marry Spartacus' babe Jean Simmons in 1965-77.

Walter Van Tilburg Clark (1909-71)

In 1940 East Orland, Maine-born, Reno, Nev.-raised Walter Van Tilburg Clark (1909-71) pub. his first novel The Ox-Bow Incident, about a lynching in Nev. of three innocent travelers mistaken for cattle rustlers, after which they discover their mistake; the first modern Western sans cliches and formula plots; his masterpiece?; filmed in 1943 by William A. Wellman starring Henry Fonda and Harry Morgan. In 1945 he pub. The City of Trembling Leaves, a set of parallel stories set in Reno, Nev. In 1949 he pub. The Track of the Cat, about the hunting of a marauding mountain lion in snowy Nev.; filmed in 1954 by William A. Wellman starring Robert Mitchum and Teresa Wright. In 1950 he pub. The Watchful Gods and Other Stores; incl. "The Wind and the Snow of Winter".

Ketti Frings (1909-81)

In 1940 Columbus, Ohio-born Ketti Frings (Katherine Herbert) (1909-81) pub. Hold Back the Dawn; filmed in 1941 starring Charles Boyer and Olivia de Havilland.

Richard Orson Lockridge (1899-1982)

In 1940 St. Joseph, Mo.-born Richard Orson Lockridge (1899-1982) and his wife Frances Lockridge (-1963) pub. The Norths Meet Murder; introduces married detectives Mr. and Mrs. North, named for the "stupid people who played the north hand in bridge problems"; first of a series of 26 novels, which are adapted for the stage, film, radio, and TV.

Carson McCullers (1917-67)

In 1940 Columbus, Ga.-born Carson McCullers (Lula Carson Smith) (1917-67) pub. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, title taken from Fiona MacLeod's poem "The Lonely Hunter", about deaf John Singer in a 1930s Ga. mill town. On Feb. 14, 1941 she pub. Reflections in a Golden Eye, about six chars. with repressed homosexuality. In 1946 she pub. The Member of the Wedding; filmed in 1952; "Frankie is in love with her brother and the bride"; "It happened that green and crazy summer. It was a summer when for a long time she had not been a member. She belonged to no club and she was a member of nothing in the world. And she was afraid." In 1961 she pub. her last novel Clock Without Hands, in which a small-town Ga. druggist sees his community explode into racial violence.

Conrad Michael Richter (1890-1968)

In 1940 Conrad Michael Richter (1890-1968) pub. The Trees. In 1946 he pub. The Fields. In 1950 he pub. The Town (Pulitzer Prize).

Irwin Shaw (1913-84)

In 1940 Bronx, N.Y.-born playwright Irwin Shaw (Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff) (1913-84) pub. Sailor off the Bremen (short stories). In 1942 he pub. Welcome to the City (short stories). In 1947 he pub. Welcome to the City (short stories). In 1948 he pub. his first novel The Young Lions; WWII novel. In 1950 he pub. Mixed Company (short stories). In 1951 he pub. The Troubled Air; about the rise of McCarthyism; gets him put on the Hollywood Blacklist, causing him to move to Europe for the next 25 years.

Peter de Vries (1910-93)

In 1940 Chicago, Ill.-born Peter De Vries (1910-93) pub. his first novel But Who Wakes the Bugler? In 1943 he pub. Angels Can't Do Better. In 1952 he pub. No But I Saw the Movie. In 1954 he pub. The Tunnel of Love. In 1956 he pub. Comfort Me with Apples. In 1958 he pub. The Mackerel Plaza. In 1959 he pub. The Tents of Wickedness. In 1961 he pub. Through the Fields of Clover; The Blood of the Lamb; Don Wanderhop. In 1964 he pub. Reuben, Reuben; based on Welsh poet Dylan Thomas; filmed in 1983 by Robert Ellis Miller. In 1965 he pub. Let Me Count the Ways. In 1967 he pub. The Vale of Laughter. In 1968 he pub. Cat's Pajamas/ Witch's Milk. In 1970 he pub. Mrs. Wallop. In 1971 he pub. Into Your Tent I'll Creep; satire of women's lib. In 1974 he pub. The Glory of the Hummingbird; In 1976 he pub. I Hear America Swinging; the sexual rev. In 1977 he pub. Madder Music. In Aug. 1980 he pub. Consenting Adults: or, The Duchess Will Be Furious. In Sept. 1981 he pub. Sauce for the Goose; a feminist journalist goes undercover to bait male chauvinism in a male publisher, then falls for him. In 1983 he pub. Slouching Towards Kalamazoo; Anthony Thrasher in 1963 N.D. gets a tutor who becomes his "modern Hester Prynne"; "Once terms like identity doubts and midlife crisis become current, the reported cases of them increase by leaps and bounds"; "Rapid-fire means of communication have brought psychic dilapidation within the reach of the most provincial backwaters, so that large metropolitan centers and educated circles need no longer consider it their exclusive property, nor preen themselves on their special malaises." In Apr. 1985 he pub. The Prick of Noon.

James Agee (1909-55)

In 1941 Knoxville, Tenn.-born James Rufus Agee (1909-55) pub. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, which is a flop until he dies, after which it is praised as one of the top novels of the cent. He leaves the posth. novel A Death in the Family, about his father, which wins a Pulitzer Prize.

Joseph Edward Davies of the U.S. (1876-1958)

In 1941 Watertown, Wisc.-born U.S. ambassador #2 to the Soviet Union (1936-8) Joseph Edward Davies (1876-1958) pub. the bestseller (700K copies) Mission to Moscow; filmed in 1943 starring Walter Huston as Davies, who is known for the soundbyte "Communism holds no serious threat to the United States. Friendly relations in the future may be of great general value." On May 22, 1943 Michael Curtiz's Mission to Moscow debuts, a "$2M love letter to Stalin" by Warner Brothers, written by Howard Koch based on the 1941 bestseller, starring Walter Huston as Davies, who snuggles up to Stalin and sees the Soviet Union as a bastion of freedom and civilization against the German Huns, and even falls for the 1937 Moscow Trials; made at the request of FDR to whip up support for the war effort, it is a box office bomb and loses $600K despite a $250K ad budget, becoming a cause celebre for HUAC, which targets it in 1947, grilling Jack Warner and blacklisting Koch.

Paul Gallico (1897-1976)

In 1941 New York City-born Paul William Gallico (1897-1976) pub. The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk; a tear-jerker about Philip Rhayader and his babe Fritha, who nurses a you know what back to health, while he is killed saving British soldiers at Dunkirk, and the bird carries his soul. In 1969 he pub. The Poseidon Adventure; filmed in 1972.

Helen MacInnes (1907-85)

In 1941 Glasgow, Scotland-born spy novelist Helen Clark MacInnes (1907-85) pub. her first novel Above Suspicion; bestseller. In 1942 she pub. Assignment in Brittany. In 1944 she pub. The Unconquerable (While Still We Live). In 1945 she pub. Horizon. In 1947 she pub. Friends and Lovers. In 1949 she pub. Rest and Be Thankful. In 1951 she pub. Neither Five Nor Three. In 1953 she pub. I and My True Love.

Mary O'Hara (1885-1980)

In 1941 Cape May Point, N.J.-born Mary O'Hara (Alsop) (1885-1980) pub. My Friend Flicka; 10-y.-. Ken McLaughlin, his father Rob, mother Nell, older brother Howard, and part-mustang sorrel filly Flicka (Swedish for little girl), who tries to jump a barbed wire fence on the Goose Bar Ranch in Wyo., and gets a near-fatal infection, which is cured by a night in a brook; followed by "Thunderhead" (1943), "Green Grass of Wyoming" (1946); writes it at the Remount Ranch near Cheyenne, Wyo.; filmed in 1943 starring Roddy McDowall; turned into a CBS/NBC TV series in 1956-7. In 1943 she pub. the sequel Thunderhead. In 1946 she pub. Green Grass of Wyoming; #3 in the Flicka Trilogy.

Will Oursler (1913-85)

In 1941 Baltimore, Md.-born William Charles "Will" Oursler (1913-85) (AKA Gale Gallagher, Nick Marino) (son of Fulton Oursler) pub. his first novel The Trial of Vincent Doon.

Kenneth Patchen (1911-72)

In 1941 Niles, Ohio-born poet Kenneth Patchen (1911-72) pub. The Journal of Albion Moonlight. In 1945 he pub. The Memoirs of a Shy Pornographer; McCannah Skjellyfetti and his agent Skujellifeddy McGranehan; "May I call you Skujellifeddy? Mr. McGranehan's sort of awkward." In 1953 he pub. Fables and Other Little Tales.

Olive Higgins Prouty (1882-1974)

In 1941 Olive Higgins Prouty (1882-1974) pub. Now, Voyager; Boston blueblood Charlotte Vale is turned by her domineering mother into a middle-aged spinster who ends up in an asylum until a pshrink fixes her, after which she goes on a Mediterranean cruise, has a fling with Jerry Durrance, then helps his equally depressed daughter after deciding she doesn't need men, making the novel a hit with lesbians; title taken from Walt Whitman's poem "The Untold Want": "The untold want by life and land ne'er granted,/ Now voyager sail thou forth to seek and find."

Budd Schulberg (1914-2009)

In 1941 New York City-born Seymour Wilson "Budd" Schulberg (1914-2009) pub. his first novel What Makes Sammy Run? In 1947 he pub. The Harder They Fall; a boxer whose fights are fixed; a 1956 film based on it causes Primo Carnera to unsuccessfully sue the movie co. In 1950 he pub. The Disenchanted.

Marion Hargrove (1919-2003)

In 1942 Marion Hargrove (1919-2003) pub. the bestseller See Here, Private Hargrove; filmed in 1944 starring Robert Walker and Donna Reed. In 1948 he pub. Something's Got to Give.

William Bradford Huie (1910-86)

In 1942 Harselle, Ala.-born William Bradford "Bill" Huie (1910-86) pub. his first novel Mud on the Stars. In 1951 he pub. The Revolt of Mamie Stover.

Mary McCarthy (1912-89)

In 1942 Seattle, Wash.-born ex-Roman Catholic Mary Therese McCarthy (1912-89) (whose parents both died in the 1918 Great Influenza Epidemic) pub. her first novel The Company She Keeps. In 1949 she pub. The Oasis. In 1952 she pub. The Groves of Academe. In 1955 she pub. A Charmed Life. In 1963 she pub. The Group, in which eight Vassar grads of the class of 1933 see how sexually and intellectually free they can get over the next 30 years, spawning a movement by Vassar alumnae to get her degree rescinded, making it more popular? In 1971 she pub. Birds of America, about a mother's strained relationship with her son during the 1968 Paris Rev. In 1979 she pub. Cannibals and Missionaries; some prominent liberals fly to Iran and are taken hostage by the PLO.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950)

In 1942 Rockland, Maine-born poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) (AKA Nancy Boyd) pub. The Murder of Lidice; the Nazi destruction of a Czech. town.

Gladys Schmitt (1909-72) Gladys Schmitt (1909-72)

In 1942 Pittsburgh, Penn.-born Gladys Schmitt (1909-72) pub. her first novel The Gates of Aulis. In 1943 she pub. the bestseller (1M copies) David the King. In 1947 she pub. Alexandra. In 1952 she pub. Confessors of the Name. In 1955 she pub. The Persistent Image. In 1957 she pub. A Small Fire. In 1961 she pub. Rembrandt: A Novel. In 1965 she pub. Electra. In 1972 she pub. her last novel The Godforgotten; an island is cut off from the rest of humanity just before the year 1000 C.E.

Jim Thompson (1906-67)

In 1942 Greenville, Del.-born "Thai silk king" James Harrison Wilson "Jim" Thompson (1906-67) pub. his first novel Now and On Earth. In 1946 he pub. Heed the Thunder (Sins of the Fathers). In 1949 he pub. Nothing More Than Murder. In 1952 he pub. The Killer Inside Me; also Cropper's Cabin. In 1953 he pub. Savage Night; also Bad Boy; also The Criminal.

Martin Flavin (1883-1967)

In 1943 Martin Flavin (1893-1967) pub. Journey in the Dark, which wins a Pulitzer Prize.

Woody Guthrie (1912-67)

In 1943 Okemah, Okla.-born singer Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (1912-67) pub. his first novel Bound for Glory.

Richard P. Powell (1908-99)

In 1943 Philly-born Richard Pitts Powell (1908-99) pub. his first novel Don't Catch Me, the first of 10 Inner Sanctum Mysteries (until 1955). In 1956 he pub. The Philadelphian, which is filmed in 1959 starring Paul Newman. In 1959 he pub. Pioneer, Go Home!, about a N.J. family that squats on the side of a highway in Fla., declaring the new state of Columbiana; turned into a play by Herman Raucher; filmed in 1962 starring Elvis Presley.

Allan Seager (1906-68)

In 1943 Adrian, Mich.-born Allan Seager (1906-68) pub. Equinox. In 1948 he pub. The Inheritance. In 1950 he pub. The Old Man of the Mountain (short stories). In 1953 he pub. Amos Berry; turns James Dickey on to writing.

Betty Smith (1896-1972)

In 1943 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Betty Smith (Elisabeth Wehner) (1896-1972) pub. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, about Francis Mary "Francie" Nolan (1901-) of Willimsburg, Brooklyn, N.Y. and the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima); filmed in 1945 by Elia Kazan.

Saul Bellow (1915-2005) Delmore Schwartz (1913-66)

In 1944 Quebec-born Chicago-raised Saul Bellow (Solomon Bello) (1915-2005) pub. his first novel Dangling Man. In 1953 he pub. The Adventures of Augie March, a picaresque novel about a young Chicago Jew, with an expansive, multivocal narrative style that is new to U.S. fiction. In 1956 he pub. Seize the Day; Wilhelm "Tommy" Adler gives up Hollywood for sales, gets forced out, goes to Jew York, is rejected by his wealthy father, loses his money to Dr. Tamkin, and faces the Abyss. In 1959 he pub. Henderson the Rain King; Eugene Henderson goes to Africa, hires native guide Romilayu, who takes him to the village of Arnewi, then Wariri, where he wows king Dahfu and becomes the rain king, going on to have deep philosophical discussions with him. In 1964 he pub. Herzog; philosophy prof. Moses Herzog writes philosophical letters to the people in his failed life; "A man may say, 'From now on I'm going to speak the truth.' But the truth hears him and runs away and hides before he's even done speaking"; "Somewhere in every intellectual is a dumb prick"; "You guys can't answer your own questions... What good are these efing eggheads! It takes an ignorant bastard like me to fight liberal causes"; "the liberal-bourgeous illusion of perfection, the poison of hope"; "Make it all clear to me in a few words." In 1970 he pub. Mr. Sammler's Planet; Holocaust survivor Arthur Sammler contemplates life in New York City's West Side, and encounters a black pickpocket. In Mar. 1971 he becomes the first to receive three Nat. Book Awards: The Adventures of Augie March (1954), Herzog (1965), Mr. Sammler's Planet (1971). In 1975 he pub. Humboldt's Gift, which wins the Pulitzer Prize, about his relationship with alcoholic poet Delmore Schwartz (1913-66), who becomes Von Humboldt Fleischer, while he becomes struggling writer Charlie Citrine, who is saved by selling out with a successful comedy about cannibalism with a char. named Von Trenck modeled after Humboldt written before his death. In 1976 he wins the Nobel Lit. Prize.

Leigh Brackett (1915-78)

In 1944 Los Angeles, Calif.-born Leigh Douglass Brackett (1915-78) pub. her first novel No Good from a Corpse, a Raymond Chandler clone, followed by her first sci-fi novel Shadow Over Mars, which promotes an elaborate fantasy version of Mars. In 1949 after a stint in Hollywood where she co-wrote "The Big Sleep", she pub. Sea-Kings of Mars (The Sword of Rhiannon), along with Queen of the Martian Catacombs, which introduced Earth orphan Eric John Stark, who was raised on Mercury. In 1952 she pub. The Starmen (of Llyrdis) (The Galactic Breed), followed by The Big Jump (1955). In 1955 she pub. The Long Tomorrow, about a religion-run technophobic society that grows up after a nuclear war. In 1963 she pub. Alpha Centauri or Die!, followed by The Secret of Sinharat (1964), and People of the Talisman (1964). In 1974 after returning to Hollywood to co-write "Rio Bravo", "Hatari!", "El Dorado", and "Rio Lobo", she pub. The Ginger Star, along with The Hounds of Skaith, followed by The Reavers of Skaith (1976). She then wrote a screenplay for "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980), which may or may not have been used along with another by Lawrence Kasdan, although George Lucas gave them both credit.

John Hersey (1914-93)

In 1944 Tientsin, China-born John Richard Hersey (1914-93) pub. A Bell for Adano, which wins a Pulitzer Prize, about the Allied occupation of a Sicilian village and how Maj. Victor Joppolo tries to teach them about U.S.-style democracy by finding a replacement for their 700-y.-o. bell that the Nazis melted down to make cannon; filmed in 1945. In 1950 he pub. The Wall, about the Warsaw Ghetto. In 1953 he pub. The Marmot Drive; a modern "Scarlet Letter"? In 1956 he pub. A Single Pebble; young Am. engineer and his experiences traveling up the Yantgtze River in China to scout the Three Gorges Dam, ending up reconsidering his Western assumptions. In 1960 he pub. The Child Buyer; a project to engineer high-IQ kids to save the cruddy U.S. school system which can't teach Johnny to read, uh huh huh huh; a mysterious stranger in Pequot tries to buy brain boy Barry Rudd. In 1966 he pub. Too Far to Walk; undergrads doing LSD. In 1968 he pub. The Algiers Motel Incident; the murder of three blacks by white pigs during the July 23, 1967 Detroit 12th St. Riot is seen as a thumbnail sketch of the big picture. In 1972 he pub. The Conspiracy; the 64 C.E. plot to assassinate Nero.

Margaret Landon (1903-93)

In 1944 Somers, Wisc.-born Margaret Dorothea Landon (nee Mortenson) (1903-93) pub. Anna and the King of Siam; based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens (1831-1915); filmed in 1956. In 1949 she pub. Never Dies the Dream.

Joseph Stanley Pennell (1908-63)

In 1944 Junction City, Kan.-born Joseph Stanley Pennell (1908-63) pub. The History of Rome Hanks. In 1948 he pub. The History of Norah Beckham.

Katherine Anne Porter (1890-1980)

In 1944 Indian Creek, Tex.-born Katherine Anne Porter (1891-1980) pub. The Leaning Tower (short stories). In 1952 she pub. The Days Before (short stories). On Apr. 1, 1962 she pub. the bestseller Ship of Fools. On Apr. 29, 1962 JFK and Jackie give a White House black tie dinner for 49 Nobel Prize Winners and other prominent intellectuals incl. J. Robert Oppenheimer, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Robert Frost, James Baldwin, Katherine Anne Porter, Diana Trilling, and William Styron; JFK utters the soundbyte "This is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone." No surprise, in 1965 her short story collection Collected Stories wins a Pulitzer Prize.

Lillian Smith (1897-1966)

In 1944 cool brave white Jasper, Fla.-born "tortured Southern liberal" Lillian Smith (1897-1966) pub. the bestseller Strange Fruit, about an interracial relationship ending in a lynching of the black buck, calling down segregation; banned in Detroit and Boston (making it more popular?), it sells 3M copies and makes her an anti-segregationist spokesperson.

Jean Stafford (1915-79) Elizabeth Hardwick (1916-2007) Robert Lowell (1917-77)

In 1944 Calif.-born Jean Stafford (1915-79), wife #1 (1940-8) of alcoholic poet Robert Lowell (1917-77), who seriously injures and disfigures her in a drunk driving accident pub. her first novel Boston Adventure, which becomes a bestseller. In 1947 she pub. The Interior Castle; her horror after the auto accident; The Mountain Lion. In 1952 she pub. The Catherine Wheel. In 1953 she pub. Children Are Bored on Sunday (short stories); establishes her rep. In 1945 Elizabeth Hardwick (1916-2007) wife #2 (1949-72) of poet Robert Lowell (1917-77) pub. her first novel The Ghostly Lover.

Theodore Sturgeon (1918-85)

In 1944 Staten Island, N.Y.-born Theodore Sturgeon (Edward Hamilton Waldo) (1918-85) (distant relative of Ralph Waldo Emerson) pub. his first novel Killdozer!, about spirits from an ancient temple possessing bulldozer Daisy Etta (D7 in Spanish), which inspires a 1974 TV movie and a Marvel comic book. In 1950 he pub. The Dreaming Jewels (The Synthetic Man), about 8-y.-o. Horton "Horty" Bluett, who runs away to the circus disguised as a girl, and takes on evil carnival owner Pierre Monetre, who is trying to unlock the power of alien jewels. In 1951 he pub. Sturgeon's Law: "90% of science fiction is crud, but then, 90% of everything is crud." In 1953 he pub. More Than Human, based on the novella "Baby is Three", about six extaordinary people who "blesh" in order to act as a single organism. In Aug. 1958 he pub. The Cosmic Rape (To Marry Medusa), about alcoholic Dan Gurlick, who ingests a spore from the hive mind Medusa, and is used to absorb Earth. In 1960 he pub. Venus Plus X, about Charlie Johns of 61 N. 34th St., who is taken to the future world of Ledmon, which has dispensed with gender. In 1961 he pub. Some of Your Blood, about Dr. Philip Outerbridge and his patient George Smith, who Outerbridge believes is a vampire. In 1963 he pub. The Player on the Other Side, an Ellery Queen novel. In 1966 he begins writing screenplays for the TV series "Star Trek", incl. "Shore Leave" (1966), and "Amok Time" (1967), in which he invents the Vulcan Pon Farr mating ritual, the Vulcan benediction "Live long and prosper", and the Vulcan hand symbol. He also creates the Prime Directive. On Apr. 3, 1986 Godbody is pub. posth., about a super sexual athlete.

Kathleen Winsor (1919-2003)

In 1944 Olivia, Minn.-born Kathleen Winsor (1919-2003) pub. her first novel Forever Amber, the bestseller of 1947; 17th cent. poverty-stricken Amber St. Clare is protected by black pirate Jack Mallard, turned into a "working girl" in Whitefriars, marries an old man, survives the plague, and becomes the mistress of English King Charles II, only to lose the one man she ever really loved, cavalier Lord Bruce Carlton, causing her to sail to America after him; banned in Boston after the Mass. atty.-gen. claims that it details seven abortions, 39 illegitimate pregnancies, and 10 women undressing in the presence of men, followed by 13 more U.S. states, drawing condemnation from the Hays Office, making it more popular?; filmed in 1947 starring Linda Darnell and Cornel Wilde; the success causes her to divorce first hubby Robert Herwig and marry Artie Shaw.

Chester Himes (1909-84)

In 1945 Jefferson City, Mo.-born Chester Bomar Himes (1909-84) pub. If He Hollers Let Him Go, about a black WWII LA shipyard worker struggling against racism. In 1947 he pub.The Lonely Crusade; black man becomes union organizer in WWII. In 1952 he pub. Cast the First Stone. In 1954 he pub. The Third Generation; early 20th cent. African-Am. society. In 1955 he pub. The End of a Primitive; a black writer and a white party girl hook up and slide toward addiction. In 1965 he pub. Cotton Comes to Harlem; Ed "Coffin" Jones and "Gravedigger" Johnson take on scheming

Arthur Miller (1915-2005)

In 1945 Manhattan, N.Y.-born struggling playwright Arthur Asher Miller (1915-2005) pub. his first novel Focus. After it flops he returns to playwriting, and becomes a star.

Mary Jessamyn West (1902-84)

In 1945 Mount Vernon, Ind.-born Mary Jessamyn West (1902-84) (2nd cousin of Richard Nixon) pub. The Friendly Persuasion; filmed in 1956. In 1953 she pub. Cress Delahanty, for ages 12-16.

E.B. White (1899-1985)

In 1945 North Brooklin, Maine-born E.B. White (1899-1985) pub. Stuart Little; big hit with kids; New York City mouse with a "shy pleasant manner", born to human parents, whose enemy is Snowbell the Cat; filmed in 1999 by Rob Minkoff. On Oct. 15, 1952 he pub. Charlotte's Web, which becomes the best-selling children's paperback of all time; after Wilbur the Pig is nurtured from infancy by Fern Arable and sold to her uncle Homer Zuckerman, his barnyard spider friend Charlotte A. Cavatica saves him from being slaughtered by writing messages ("Some Pig", etc.) in her web, which the neighbors ascribe to divine intervention, making him too popular to eat; Templeton the Rat helps them only when bribed with food; after exhausting herself laying eggs, Charlotte dies, and three of the hatchlings (Joy, Nellie, Aranea) become Wilbur's new friends; "'Where's papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother" (first line); "No one was with her when she died" (last line); filmed in 1973, 2003, and 2006.

Pat Frank (1908-64)

In 1946 Chicago, Ill.born Pat Frank (Harry Hart Frank Jr.) (1908-64) pub. his first novel Mr. Adam (Was Wanted by Every Woman in the World), about a nuclear accident which renders all men sterile except one lucky guy. In 1948 he pub. An Affair of State, about Jeff Baker, who works his way up in the State Dept. and ends up in Hungary, giving him a chance to do something about his hatred of cold war. In 1951 he pub. Hold Back the Night, about the Korean War; filmed in 1956. In 1956 he pub. Forbidden Area, about Soviet sleeper agents in the U.S. In 1959 he pub. the bestseller Alas, Babylon, about the anarchic post-nuclear war world of lucky Ft. Repose, Fla. In 1962 he pub. How to Survive the H-Bomb and Why.

Laura Z. Hobson (1900-86)

In 1946 New York City-born Laura Z. Hobson (Laura Kean Zametkin) (1900-86) (ex-wife of Wiliam Morrow & Co. owner Francis Thayer Hobson) pub. Gentleman's Agreement, about discrimination against Jews, which is filmed in 1947 starring Gregory Peck.

Eric Hodgins (1899-1971)

In 1946 MIT-educated Eric Francis Hodgins (1899-1971) pub. his first novel Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House; illustrated by William Steig. In 1950 he pub. the sequel Blandings Way.

Mervyn Peake (1911-68)

In 1946 Lushan, China-born Mervyn Laurence Peake (1911-68) pub. Titus Groan; #1 in the Gormenghast Trilogy, about Gormenghast Castle.

Ann Petry (1908-97)

In 1946 Old Saybrook, Conn.-born Ann Petry (1908-97) pub. The Street, which becomes the first million-selling novel by a black woman writer. In 1947 she pub. Country Place. In 1953 she pub. The Narrows, about an interracial love affair in Conn.

Harry Reasoner (1923-91)

In 1946 Dakota City, Iowa journalist Harry Reasoner (1923-91) pub. his first and only novel Tell Me About Women.

Clifford Donald Simak (1904-88)

In 1946 Millville, Wisc.-born Minneapolis Star and Tribune ed. Clifford Donald Simak (1904-88) (known for being anti-urban and pro-agrarian) pub. his first novel The Creator. In 1950 he pub. Cosmic Engineers, about metal men fighting the Hellhounds to keep two universes from colliding. In 1951 he pub. Time and Again (First He Died) (Time Quarry), about spaceman Ashter Sutton returning to Earth from 61 Cygni after visiting a planet with living "souls", causing a religious war. In 1951 he pub. City, about a future Earth where only dogs and robots are left. In 1953 he pub. Ring Around the Sun, where psychic powers enable men to step into parallel quantum Earths in a you know what. In 1961 he pub. Time is the Simplest Thing (The Fisherman), about paranormal Shepherd Blaine, who escapes a mob set on him by the evil Fishhook monopoly by traveling back in time, only to find that time only flows forward while splitting into parallel Universes, and the past is a lifeless insubstantial place. In 1961 he pub. The Trouble with Tycho, about a lunar crater where spacecraft disappear. In 1963 he pub. Way Station (Here Gather the Stars, about a U.S. Civil War vet who takes care of a secret Way Station for ETs. In 1965 he pub. All Flesh is Grass, about Millville being trapped in a bubble by an alien hive race of purple flowers. In 1968 he pub. The Goblin Reservation, about a traveler who teleports home and learns that he was murdered a week earlier. In 1972 he pub. A Choice of Gods, where 99.99% of the human race disappears, and the rest have lifespans of 5K-6K years. In 1974 he pub. Our Children's Children, about refugees from 500 years in the future being chased by monsters. In 1976 he pub. Shakespeare's Planet; Carter Horton sleeps 2K years and finds himself on a planet inhabited only one living entity, Carnivore. In 1978 he pub. The Fellowship of the Talisman, about a parallel Earth where a young men must get past the Harriers of the Horde to deliver Jesus' teachings to London. In 1978 he pub. Mastodonia (Catface), about a cat-faced alien stranded in Wisc. who helps locals start a tourism co. for big game hunters in prehistoric epochs, and they want to found the country of you know what. In 1980 he pub. The Visitors, about giant black boxes that land on Earth and eat trees. In 1981 he pub. Project Pope, about the planet End of Nothing, where robots work 1K years to build a computerized infallible pope. In 1984 he pub. Highway of (to) Eternity, about Jay Corcoran, whose client vanishes, causing him to find a room-sized box stuck to the outside wall of his hotel suite, and call in his friend Tom Boone, who has the power to "step around a corner", causing them to travel back to 1745 Shropshire England, where they find a family of refugees from 1M years in the future.

Gore Vidal (1925-2012) William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008)

In 1946 West Point, N.Y.-born Eugene Luther "Gore" Vidal Jr. (1925-2012) (son of the lover of Amelia Earhart) pub. his first novel Williwaw; "Indian word for a big wind peculiar to the Aleutian islands and the Alaskan coast. It is a strong wind that swoops down from the mountains toward the sea". In 1948 he pub. The City and the Pillar, the first Am. novel to give a dispassionate presentation of homosexuality; dedicated to his gay bud "J.T.", Jimmie Trimble (-1945), who was KIA at Iwo Jima; pisses-off the New York Times, which refuses to review his next five books. In 1950 he pub. A Search for the King: A 12th Century Legend; troubador Blondel searches for his lover, er, master Richard I Lionheart, encountering dragons, giants, and werewolves; also Dark Green, Bright Red; predicts the 1954 Guatemala coup. In 1952 he pub. The Judgment of Paris. In 1954 he pub. Messiah. In 1960 he pub. Visit to a Small Planet. In 1968 he pub. Myra Breckinridge, the campy escapades of a transsexual in Hollywood who loves actor James Craig (1912-85); filmed in 1970 - worst-written dirty book since the Decameron? On Aug. 27-29, 1968 Gore Vidal (1925-2012) and William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008) engage in a series of televised debates during the 1968 Dem. Nat. Convention, with Vidal against the Vietnam War and Buckley for it, disagreeing over the actions of the Chicago police against the protesters et al.; on Aug. 28 when discussing the raising of the Viet Cong flag by the protesters, Vidal says that many think the Viet Cong are right, and calls Buckley the "only proto-crypto-Nazi I can think of", and Buckley replies "Now listen, you queer, stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I will sock you in your goddamn face, and you'll stay plastered." In 1970 he pub. Two Sisters; a screenwriter writes about two sisters in 3rd cent. B.C.E. Ephesus, along with a diary, after which his old friend Vidal writes a memoir. On Dec. 2, 1971 The Dick Cavett Show sees 3rd guest Janet Flanner try in vain to keep Norman Mailer (1923-2007), Gore Vidal (1925-2012), and Dick Cavett apart as they engage in verbal fireworks; "Perhaps you'd like two more chairs to contain your giant intellect?" (Cavett to Mailer); "I'll take the two chairs if you'll all accept finger bowls" (Mailer); "Why don't you look at your question sheet and ask your question?" (Mailer); "Why don't you fold it five ways and put it where the Moon don't shine?" (Cavett); "Surely I don't have to tell you a quote from Tolstoy" (Cavett to Mailer, after being asked if he came up with the previous remark himself). In 1973 he pub. Burr; Aaron Burr's fictional diary, giving his views on fat inept Washington, slave-pumping Jefferson, arch-enemy Hamilton, etc. In 1974 he pub. Myron; the return of Myra Breckinridge; "One of the absolutes of bookchat land is that the historical novel is neither history nor novel" (Vidal). In 1976 he pub. 1876; Charles Schuyler returns to Washington, D.C. at the height of the corrupt Grant admin. On Mar. 11, 1978 he pub. Kalki; bisexual Southern Calif. aviatrix Teddy Ottinger and the Vietnam War vet leader of a Kathmandu-based religious cult who claims he's the god Kalki and is going to end the human race on Apr. 3. In 1981 he pub. Creation; 5th cent. B.C.E. Persian diplomat Cyrus Spitama, grandson of Zoroaster. In 1983 he pub. Duluth; Rosemary Klein Kantor and excesses of Am. mass culture. In 1984 he pub. Lincoln: A Novel; his masterpiece? In 1987 he pub. Empire; the newspaper dynasty of half-siblings Caroline and Blaise Sanford, and William Randolph Hearst's crusade to get rid of Teddy Roosevelt in 1904. In 1990 he pub. Hollywood; sequel to "Empire". In 1992 he pub. Live from Golgotha: the Gospel according to Gore Vidal; a mysterious hacker from the future tries to erase Christianity. In 1993 he pub. United States: Essays 1952-1992 (Pulitzer Prize). In 1998 he pub. The Smithsonian Institution; the exhibits come to life when it's closed - are these the breed of wit so wondered at, or will you hear the king is my love sworn? In 2000 he pub. The Golden Age; 7th and last in his Empire series.

Frank Garvin Yerby (1916-91)

In 1946 Augusta, Ga.-born Frank Garvin Yerby (1916-91) pub. The Foxes of Harrow, which becomes the first bestselling novel by an African-Am., and first book by an African-Am. purchased by Hollywood. In 1947 he pub. The Vixens. In 1948 he pub. The Golden Hawk. In 1949 he pub. Pride's Castle; Pride Dawson in 1870s New York City. In 1950 he pub. Floodtide; "A big, savage novel about a man's fall into lust." In 1951 he pub. A Woman Called Fancy. In 1952 he pub. The Saracen Blade. In 1953 he pub. The Devil's Laughter. In 1954 he pub. Bride of Liberty; also Benton's Row. In 1955 he pub. The Treasure of Pleasant Valley; also Captain Rebel. In 1957 he pub. Fair Oaks. In 1958 he pub. The Serpent and the Staff. In 1959 he pub. Jarrett's Jade. In 1960 he pub. Gillian. In 1961 he pub. The Garfield Honor. In 1964 he pub. The Old Gods Laugh. In 1966 he pub. An Odor of Sanctity. In 1967 he pub. Goat Song. In 1968 he pub. Judas, My Brother. In 1969 he pub. Speak Now. In 1971 he pub. The Man from Dahomey (The Dahomean). In 1972 he pub. The Girl from Storeyville. In 1974 he pub. The Voyage Unplanned. In 1975 he pub. Tobias and the Angel. In 1976 he pub. A Rose for Ana Maria. In 1977 he pub. Hail the Conquering Hero. In 1979 he pub. A Darkness at Ingraham's Crest. On Jan. 1, 1982 he pub. Western: A Saga of the Great Plains. In 1984 he pub. Devilseed. In 1985 he pub. his last novel McKenzie's Hundred.

A.B. Guthrie Jr. (1901-91)

In 1947 Bedford, Ind.-born Alfred Bertram "Bud" Guthrie Jr. (1901-91) (who moved to Choteau, Mont. at age 6 mo. so his father could be the first principal of the first h.s. in Montana Territory) pub. The Big Sky; 17-y.-o. Boone Caudhill stands up to his abusive father and leaves home, deciding to walk from Ky. to St. Louis then the Grand Tetons, where he hooks up with Teal Eye, daughter of a Blackfoot chief. In 1949 he pub. the sequel The Way West, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. He goes on to write the screenplay for "Shane" (1953), based on a 1949 novel by Jack Schaefer (1907-91).

Norman Mailer (1923-2007)

In 1947 Long Branch, N.J.-born Norman Kingsley Mailer (1923-2007) pub. The Naked and the Dead, written while enrolled at the Sorbonne; uses "fug" for fuck. In 1951 he pub. Barbary Shore, about Cold War leftist politics in a Brooklyn rooming house. In 1955 he pub. The Deer Park after it is rejected by six publishers for sexual content, making it more popular? In 1960 narcissistic Harvard-educated Am. writer Norman Mailer, known for drunken fistfights stabs his 2nd wife (since 1954) Adele Morales at a party with a penknife, endearing him to women's libbers not; in 1997 she pub. the memoir The Last Party; meanwhile Norm takes a 3rd stab at marriage (1962-3), British heiress-journalist Lady Jeanne Campbell (1929-2007), granddaughter of newspaper mogul Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook (1879-1964), then takes a stab at marriage with model-actress Beverly Bentley (1963), then Carol Stevens (1980) (lasts one day), finally model-writer Barbara Davis (AKA Norris Church) (1980). In 1967 he pub. Why Are We in Vietnam?: A Novel; narrated by Ranald "D.J." Jethroe, Texas' most precocious teenager on an Alaskan hunting trip on the eve of his departure for you know where; "Here at this grope dinner in the Dallas ass manse, given in my honor, DJ, I thank you, because tomorrow Tex and me, we're off to see the wizard in Vietnam. Unless, that is, I'm a black-ass cripple Spade and sending from Harlem. You never know. You never know what vision has been humping you through the night." Too bad, in the 1970s he turns into the Richard Burton of writers, sticking to the sauce and poontang and getting into debt, causing him to ruin his promise of being the next Henry Adams and descend into writing coffee-table books. In 1982 he pub. Ancient Evenings, a novel of ancient Egypt in 1320-1121 B.C.E. during the age of Ramses II; he spent a decade writing a masterpiece that no one can read? In 1991 he pub. Harlot's Ghost; fictional chronicle of CIA man Harry Hubbard, whose mentor Hugh Montague (the Harlot) has mysteriously died, and whose wife Kitteredge falls for another man, causing him to flee to Metropol, Russia and read his own file titled "The Game"; based on his 1970s essay "A Harlot High and Low". In 1997 he pub. The Gospel According to the Son. In 2007 he pub. The Castle in the Forest; SS officer Dieter as the guiding devil for baby Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), whose mother is also his half-sister and his father is a beekeeper, and conveniently has no Jewish heritage; "On caca, is marriage based."

James A. Michener (1907-97) James A. Michener (1907-97) James A. Michener (1907-97)

In 1947 Doylestown, Penn.-born James Albert Michener (1907-97) pub. Tales of the South Pacific, which wins a Pulitzer Prize; he turns Umbai in Vanuatu into Bali Hai. In 1953 he pub. The Bridges at Toko-Ri, the first of two novels about the Korean War, about a a jet pilot bombing mission. In 1954 he pub. Sayonara, an interracial love story between a U.S. soldier and a Japanese woman. In 1959 he pub. Hawaii, which becomes the #3 bestseller of 1959 because of Hawaii statehood; "Millions upon millions of years ago, when the continents were already formed and the principal features of the earth had been decided, there existed, then as now, one aspect of the world that dwarfed all others... a mighty ocean, resting uneasily to the east of the largest continent, a restless ever-changing, gigantic body of water that would later be described as Pacific"; "Before the missonaries came to Hawaii, there were four hundred thousand happy, naked natives in the mountains killing each other, practicing incest, and eating well. After the missionaries had been there awhile, there were thirty thousand fully clothed, miserable natives, huddled along the shore, paying lip service to Christianity and owning nothing" (Ch. 5); "Why is it, Reverend Hale, that we must always laugh at our book, but always revere yours?"; "Therefore, men of Polynesia and Boston and China and Mount Fuji and the barrios of the Philippines, do not come to these islands empty-handed, or craven in spirit, or afraid to starve. There is no food here. In these islands there is no certainty. Bring your own food, your own gods, your own flowers and fruits and concepts. For if you come without resources to these islands you will perish... On these harsh terms the islands waited." In 1974 he pub. the bestseller Centennial, about uncolorful NE Colo., whose centennial is in 1976; made into an NBC-TV miniseries that debuts in Oct. 1978-Feb. 1979. In 1978 he pub. Chesapeake; the Roman Catholic Steeds vs. the Quaker Paxmores. In 1980 he pub. Covenant, about South Africa; co-writer Errol Uys is stiffed in the credits. In 1982 he pub. Space; fictionalized dramatized account of the U.S. space program. On Oct. 17, 1997 he dies in Austin, Tex. after taking himself off kidney dialysis, having spent a record 207 weeks at the top of the bestseller lists (#2 is Stephen King with 100); gets even with the U. of Texas for failing to name a bldg. for him by leaving his mss. to the U. of Northern Colo., where he taught in the 1930s (Colo. State Teachers College).

Robert Ruark (1915-65)

In 1947 Wilmington, N.C.-born Robert Ruark (1915-65) pub. his first novel Grenadine Etching. In 1949 he pub. I Didn't Know It Was Loaded. In 1952 he pub. Grenadine's Spawn. In 1953 he pub. Horn of the Hunter, written after going on an African safari with Ernest Hemingway's tracker Kidogo; a hit, causing a run on safari bookings by ugly Americans. In 1955 he pub. Something of Value, about the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya; his first bestselling novel. In 1957 he pub. The Old Man and the Boy. In 1962 he pub. Uhuru, set in Kenya; name spawns the Star Trek character Uhura? In 1965 his novel The Honey Badger is pub. posth.; the African animal that when cornered goes straight for the nuts.

Mickey Spillane (1918-2006)

In 1947 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Frank Morrison "Mickey" Spillane (1918-2006) pub. his first novel I, the Jury after giving up on a comic book starring Mike Danger and changing it to a novel starring Mike Hammer, cranking it out in 9 days, selling millions. In 1951 he pub. One Lonely Night. In 1951 he does a Caligula and converts to the Jehovah's Witnesses - and knocks on doors without carrying a piece?

Lionel Trilling (1905-75)

In 1947 Queens, N.Y.-born Lionel Trilling (Mordechai) (1905-75) pub. his first and only novel The Middle of the Journey, about an affluent Communist couple.

Jay Presson Allen (1922-2006)

In 1948 San Angelo, Tex.-born Jay (Jacqueline) Presson Allen (1922-2006) pub. her first anovel Spring Riot. She later turns playwright, cranking out "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", "Marnie", "Cabaret", and "Funny Lady".

Shirley Jackson (1916-65)

In 1948 San Francisco, Calif.-born Shirley Hardie Jackson (1916-65) pub. her first novel The Road Through the Wall; her story The Lottery is pub. in the June 26 issue of New Yorker, becoming a big hit. In 1951 she pub. Hangsaman. In June 1954 she pub. The Bird's Nest. In 1959 she pub. The Haunting of Hill House; filmed in 1963; "No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone." In 1962 she pub. We Have Always Lived in the Castle; two sisters living in a ruined house.

Ross Macdonald (1915-83)

In 1948 Los Gatos, Calif.-born Ont.-raised Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald) (1915-83) pub. The Moving Target, which introduces detective Lew Archer, named after Lew Wallace and Sam Spade's partner Miles Archer, the first of 18 novels; filmed in 1966 as "Harper" starring Paul Newman; set in Santa Teresa (really Santa Barbara), Calif.

Pierre van Paassen (1895-1968)

In 1948 Gorinchem, Netherlands-born Christian Zionist journalist Pierre van Paassen (1895-1968) pub. his first novel The Tower of Terzel.

Harold Robbins (1912-97)

In 1948 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Harold Robbins (Rubin) (1912-97) pub. his first novel Never Love a Stranger after publisher Pat Knopf buys it because "It was the first time he ever read a book in which on one page you'd have tears and on the next page you'd have a hardon" (Ian Parker). In 1961 he pub. the bestseller (8M copies) The Carpetbaggers, about hard-drinking entrpreneur Jonas Cord (Howard Hughes?) and Rina Marlowe (Jean Harlow?), who are both trying to break into Hollywood; Nevada Smith = Tom Mix?; "It was not quite proper to have printed [it] between covers of a book. It should have been inscribed on the walls of a public lavatory" (New York Times). In 1962 he pub. Where Love Has Gone, in shich a mother and her teenie daughter go after the same man, and the daughter stabs the mother; filmed in 1963. He goes on to pub. a novel a year to an adoring fan base that he openly mocks for their inanity, since all he does is regurgitate the same novel over and over to pay for his party yacht lifestyle?

E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1890-1965)

In 1948 Sheboygan, Wisc.-born Edward Elmer "Doc" Smith (1890-1965) pub. Triplanetary, #1 of the 6-vol. Lensman series, based on short stories in "Astounding Science Fiction" from the 1930s-1940s, about the good Arisians vs. the bad Eddorians (Civilization vs. Boskone). In 1950 he pub. First Lensman; Galactic Patrol, Gray Lensman; Second Stage Lensmen; Children of the Lens; about Master Pilot John K. Kinnison fighting millennia-old beings of pure intellect and psionic powers in an inter-galactic war using beams of lambent energy, cones of destruction, hyper-spatial tubes et al.; sci-fi's first space epic?

Elizabeth Spencer (1921-)

In 1948 Carrollton, Miss.-born Elizabeth Spencer (1921-) pub. her first novel Fire in the Morning. In 1952 she pub. This Crooked Way.

Peter Hillsman Taylor (1917-94)

In 1948 Trenton, Tenn.-born Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor (1917-94) pub. his first novel A Long Fourth. In 1950 he pub. A Woman of Means. In 1954 he pub. The Widows of Thornton. In 1959 he pub. Happy Families Are All Alike. In 1963 he pub. Miss Leonora When Last Seen. In 1986 he pub. A Summons to Memphis, which wins a Pulitzer Prize, about the Carvers of Nashville, Tenn., and Philip Carver of Memphis. In 1993 he pub. The Oracle at Stoneleigh Court.

Robert Emmet Sherwood (1896-1955) 'The Man With My Face', Samuel Woolley Taylor (1907-97), 1948

In 1948 Provo, Utah-born Mormon writer Samuel Woolley Taylor (1907-97), son of LDS pres. John Taylor, who quit to protest the church's abandonment of polygamy pub. The Man With My Face; filmed in 1951. He goes on to pub. short stories that get turned into the Disney flick "The Absent-Minded Professor" (1961).

In 1948 The Hudson Review is founded by Joseph Bennett and Frederick Morgan, and soon begins pub. notable writers incl. Wallace Stevens (1879-1955), T.S. Eliot (1888-1965), and Saul Bellow (1915-2005).

Chester Bliss Bowles of the U.S. (1901-86)

In 1949 Jamaica, Queens, N.Y.-born Paul Frederic Bowles (1910-99), who moved to Tangier, Morocco in 1947 pub. his first novel The Sheltering Sky; New Yorkers Port and Kit Moresby find out how exotic the N African desert is.

Shelby Foote (1916-2005)

In 1949 Greenville, Miss.-born Shelby Foote (1916-2005) pub. his first novel Tournament. In 1951 he pub. Love in a Dry Season. In 1952 he pub. Shiloh: A Novel. In 1954 he pub. Jordan County: A Landscape in Narrative. He then turns U.S. Civil War historian, launching a successful career.

William Goyen (1915-83)

In 1949 Trinity, Tex.-born Charles William Goyen (1915-83) pub. his first novel The House of Breath. In 1952 he pub. Ghost and Flesh: Stories and Tales.

John Hawkes (1925-98)

In 1949 Stamford, Conn.-born John Hawkes (John Clendennin Talbor Burne Hawkes Jr.) (1925-98) pub. his first novel The Cannibal. In 1951 he pub. The Beetle Leg, a surrealistic Montana Western.

Tom Lea (1907-2001)

In 1949 El Paso, Tex.-born Thomas Calloway "Tom" Lea III (1907-2001) pub. his first novel The Brave Bulls (Toros Bravos), about bull raisers in Las Astas (really La Punta) ranch in E Jalisco, Mexico, and Luis Bello, "the Swordsman of Guerreras", greatest matador in Mexico, who turns chicken after his mgr. Raul Fuentes and mistress Linda de Calderon are killed in a car crash after sneaking off to hook up. In 1952 he pub. The Wonderful Country.

Shepherd Mead (1914-94)

In 1949 St. Louis, Mo.-born playwright Shepherd Mead (1914-94) pub. his first novel Magnificent MacInnes. In 1951 he pub. Tessie, the Hound of Channel One. In 1952 he pub. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying: The Dastard's Guide to Fame and Fortune; bestseller satire of corporate life written as a self-help book; later turned into a play, which debuts in 1961.

Morton Thompson (1907-53)

In 1949 Morton Thompson (1907-53), inventor of the Thompson Turkey pub. his first novel The Cry and the Covenant, about Hungarian physician Ignaz Phillip Semmelweis (1818-65) and his fight to make doctors clean up their act with hygiene. In 1954 he posth. pub. the bestseller Not As a Stranger; Lucas Marsh becomes a "specialized human", a "stranger in the world", a medical doctor; filmed in 1955 by Stanley Kramer.

Isaac Asimov (1920-92) Isaac Asimov (1920-92)

1950: The year that sci-fi emerges from magazines to book form? In 1950 Russian-born Isaac Asimov (1920-92) (Russ. "ozimiye" = winter grain) pub. his first novel Pebble in the Sky, #1 in the Galactic Empire series (1950-2); also I, Robot, actually, a screenplay that perennially fails to get filmed (until ?). In 1951 he pub. The Stars, Like Dust; the rebels vs. the Tyranni for control of the Galaxy; also Foundation; #1 of 7 in The Foundation Series; Hari "the Raven" Seldon, math prof. at Streeling U. in Trantor, father of psychohistory predicts the fall of the Galactic Empire. In 1954 he pub. The Caves of Steel; first in the Robot series (1954-85). In 1957 he pub. The Naked Sun. In 1958 Isaac Asimov (1920-92), who received a Ph.D. in Chem. in 1948 for enzyme research ("The Kinetics of the Reaction Inactivation of Tyrosinase During Its Catalysis of the Aerobic Oxidation of Catechol"), but proved no good at research is fired from his job at a small medical school for wanting to teach instead, leaving him to pursue his real love of cranking out writing? In 1964 he pub. The Rest of the Robots (short stories). In 1966 he pub. Fantastic Voyage; a novelization of the film by Harry Kleiner. In 1972 he pub. The Gods Themselves; one of his few novels with sex in it, and alien sex to boot. In 1976 he pub. The Bicentennial Man; filmed in 1999. In 1982 he pub. Foundation's Edge; Foundation Series #4; after almost 262 books and 44 years, his first NYT bestseller; Harla Branno vs. Golan Trevize. On Apr. 6, 1992 he dies in New York City after authoring 400+ books, becoming the only author to have a book in every major Dewey Decimal category. In 1993 Forward the Foundation is pub posth., his last book; Hari Seldon grows old and dies.

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

In 1950 Waukegan, Ill.-born Raymond Douglas "Ray" Bradbury (1920-2012) pub. The Martian Chronicles (The Silver Locusts), about the dying Martian civilization. In 1951 he pub. The Illustrated Man, short stories about a tattooed dude; filmed in 1969. In 1953 he pub. Fahrenheit 451; that's Celsius 233; Guy Montag the fireman burns them pesky books people are still hoarding that threaten utopia; "It was a pleasure to burn" (first sentence); filmed in 1966. In 1962 he pub. Something Wicked This Way Comes; 13-y.-o. boys Jim Nightshade and Will Holloway visit a traveling carnival and meet Mr. Dark, who wears a tattoo for each person whose soul he's bought, after which Will's father Charles takes him on to regain his youth.

Frederick Buechner (1926-)

In 1950 New York City-born theologian Carl Frederick Buechner (1926-) pub. his first novel A Long Day's Dying; title from John Milton's "Paradise Lost": "[Expulsion from Paradise] will prove no sudden but a slow pac'd evil,/ A Long Day's Dying to augment our pain". In 1952 he pub. The Season's Difference.

Hal Clement (1922-2003)

In 1950 Somerville, Mass.-born astronomer-chemist Hal Clement (Harry Clement Stubbs) (1922-2003) (AKA George Richard) (leader of the hard sci-fi genre) pub. his first novel Needle (From Outer Space), about an alien life form that lives in the human body, followed by (1953), and Mission of Gravity (1954), about the superjovian planet Mesklin, whose fast rotational speed causes variable gravity (3g at the equator to 700g at the poles), populated by centipede-like sentient beings. In 1978 he pub. Through the Eye of a Needle, sequel to "Needle" (1950).

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-88) 'Stranger in a Strange Land', by Robert A. Heinlein (1907-88), 1961

In 1950 Mont.-born Robert Anson Heinlein (1907-88) pub. The Man Who Sold the Moon. In 1951 he pub. The Puppet Masters. In 1957 he pub. Citizen of the Galaxy, about slave boy Thorby of Jubbulpore and his benign owner Baslim the Cripple. In 1957 he also pub. The Door into Summer, about time travel. In 1958 he pub. Have Space Suit - Will Travel; h.s. senior Clifford "Kip" Russell wins a used spacesuit in a jingle-writing contest. In 1959 he pub. Starship Troopers, a a political treatise about how only those doing military service should have the right to become full citizens and vote - how about becoming grand marshal in Disney parks around the world? In 1961 he pub. Stranger in a Strange Land (original title "The Heretic") (June 1), a bestseller (5M copies) about human Valentine Martin Smith, who was raised by Martians and brought back to Earth, transforming society a la the Biblical book of Exodus into organized religion-free counterculture free love anything goes hippiedom; coins the terms "grok"and "grokked", and becomes the Bible of the hippie movement; "Once upon a time there was a Martian named Valentine Martin Smith" (opening). In 1966 he pub. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. In 1980 he pub. The Number of the Beast (last novel); Zebadiah Carter, Dejah Thoris "Deety" Burroughs Carter, Prof. Jacob Burroughs, and Hilda Corners experience true 6-D time travel in the Gay Deceiver, equipped with the Continua Device and Australian Defence Force, ending up in Barsoom; names are taken from Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Patricia Highsmith (1921-95)

In 1950 Ft. Worth, Tex.-born alcoholic lesbian Patricia Highsmith (Mary Patricia Plangman) (1921-95) pub. her first novel Strangers on a Train (first novel); the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock film makes her a star and lets her give up her career writing for comic books, developing novels that make a criminal into somebody to cheer for. In 1952 she pub. The Price of Salt (Carol) under the alias Claire Morgan, a bestseller (1M copies); the first lesbian novel with a happy ending? In 1955 she pub. The Talented Mr. Ripley, the first of five novels ("the Ripliad") about Tom Ripley, an evil murderous con artist that readers can relate to and even root for; filmed in 1960 by Rene Clement as "Plein Soleil" and in 1999 by Anthony Minghella starring Matt Damon. On Oct. 31, 1961 she pub. This Sweet Sickness. The Two Faces of January; Rydal Keener, Chester McFarland, and his wife Colette. In 1962 she pub. The Cry of the Owl; Robert Forester begins watching Jenny through her window in suburban Penn. On Dec. 31, 1964 she pub. The Glass Cell; Philip Carter in priz. In 1965 she pub. A Suspension of Mercy (The Story-Teller). On Jan. 31, 1967 she pub. Those Who Walk Away; a groom talks the police in Rome into believing in his innocence, after which the father-in-law shoots him. In 1969 she pub. The Tremor of Forgery; Am. writer Howard Ingham uses a typewriter as a murder weapon in Tunisia. In 1970 she pub. Ripley Under Ground (Ripley #2) (May 31); Ripley tries to keep his lovely French countryside lifestyle going despite all his crimes; filmed in 2005 by Barry Pepper. In 1972 she pub. A Dog's Ransom, about psycho dog killer Kenneth Rowajinski and Tina the poodle. In 1974 she pub. Ripley's Game (Ripley #3); sequel to "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1955-); filmed in 1977 by Wim Wenders as "The American Friend", and in 2002 by Liliana Cavani. In 1977 she pub. Edith's Diary; mentally-ungluing housewife Edith Howland, who lives on Grove St. in Manhattan and knits for her imaginary grandchildren while her son Cliffe tries to murder family cat Mildew. In 1980 she pub. The Boy Who Followed Ripley (Ripley #4); 16-y.-o. Yank Billy gets a job as his gardener, and turns out to be Frank Pierson, who killed his tycoon father and fled. In 1983 she pub. People Who Knock on the Door; Arthur's father becomes a Bible-thumping Christian, tearing the family apart. In 1987 she pub. Found in the Street; the Sutherlands of Grove St. in Manhattan kill Elsie Tyler in her apt. at 102 Greene St.; In 1991 she pub. Ripley Under Water (Ripley #5). In 1996 Small g: A Summer Idyll is posth. pub.

Jack Kerouac (1922-69) Neal Cassady (1926-68) Jim Irsay (1959-)

The first blogger? In 1950 Lowell, Mass.-born Jean-Louis "Jack" Kerouac (1922-69) pub. his first novel The Town and the City. In Jan. 1957 he pub. On the Road, typed at 100 wpm, 6K words a day for 20 days on a 120-ft.-long scroll without paragraphs; after a positive review in the New York Times by Gilbert Millstein (1913-99), it sells 500K copies, coining the term "Beat Generation"; about Dean Moriarty, who is really Beatnik leader Neal Cassady (1926-68); Allen Ginsberg is Carlo Marx, William S. Burroughs is Old Bull Lee; arrator Kerouac is Salvatore "Sal" Paradise; "I first met Dean not long after my wife and I split up" (first line); "With the coming of Dean Moriarty began the part of my life you could call my life on the road"; last line: "I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty"; having a ragged or missing ending, the end of the scroll contains a penciled note "Dog Ate (Potchky - a dog); "It isn't writing at all - it's typing" (Truman Capote); "A book that dared to show that men too were fed up with traditional roles" (Joyce Johnson AKA Joyce Glassman, whom Kerouac is living off of); "... the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles"; Moriarty ends up on a dock in N.J. musing about God and Pooh Bear?; in 2001 Indianapolis Colts (NFL) owner James "Jim" Irsay (1959-) buys the original ms. for $2.4M at a Christie's auction in Chicago and sends it on a nat. tour. In 1958 he pub. The Dharma Bums; Ray Smith (him) and Japhy Ryder (Gary Snyder) do Matterhorn Peak in Calif., the 1955 Six Gallery reading, some Yab-Yum, and Desolation Peak in N.C. In 1963 he pub. Visions of Gerard, an autobio. novel about his childhood in Lowell, Mass. and the death of his older brother. In 1965 he pub. Desolation Angels, sequel to "The Dharma Bums" (1958). In 1966 he pub. Satori in Paris; his travels in France to research his lineage; calls himself Jack Duluoz in an effort to turn it into a novel? In 1968 he pub. The Vanity of Duluoz; his alter ego comes of age in the 1930s-40s.

Henry Morton Robinson (1898-1961)

In 1950 Boston, Mass.-born Henry Morton Robinson (1898-1961) pub. the bestseller The Cardinal, about Stephen Fermoyle, based on Francis Cardinal Spellman.

William Seward Burroughs II (1914-97)

On Sept. 6, 1951 amphetiamine addict and prominent Beat Gen. figure Joan Vollmer (b. 1923) is killed by her St. Louis, Mo.-born junkie beau (also a prominent Beat Gen. figure) William Seward Burroughs II (1914-97) (grandson of adding machine inventor William Seward Burroughs) in a drunken game of William Tell, after which he spends his career glorifying it and blaming the "Ugly Spirit" for it, with the soundbyte "I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would have never become a writer but for Joan's death." In 1953 he pub. his first novel Junkie (Junky): Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict under the alias William Lee; his only book written under the influence of heroin, about himself, naturally, and fellow junkie Herbert Huncke - occasionally, I want to talk about me? In 1959 he pub. Naked Lunch (The Naked Lunch) (Paris); first U.S. ed. in 1962; total degeneracy turned into art?; "The Man is never on time. This is no accident. There are no accidents in the junk world." In 1961 he pub. The Soft Machine; #1 the Jumbled-Page Trilogy (1961-4); coins the term "heavy metal". In 1962 he pub. The Ticket That Exploded; #2 in the Jumbled-Page Trilogy. In 1964 he pub. Nova Express; #3 in the Jumbled-Page Trilogy. In 1971 he pub. The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead; a group of militant homos in the future fight totalitarianism; inspires the Duran Duran song "The Wild Boys". In 1972 he pub. Exterminator!; an aging man tries to steal a young man's face while a Col. explains the philosopy of DE (Do Easy). In 1973 he pub. Port of Saints; a group of wild boys travel through time to rewrite history.

Hortense Calisher (1911-2009)

In 1951 New York City-born Hortense Calisher (1911-2009) pub. In the Absence of Angels (short stories).

Herbert Gold (1924-)

In 1951 Herbert Gold (1924-) pub. his first novel Birth of a Hero.

James Jones (1921-77)

In 1951 Robinson, Ill.-born James Ramon Jones (1921-77) pub. the bestseller From Here to Eternity; title comes from Rudyard Kipling's poem "Gentleman Rankers", which spawned the Yale Whiffenpoof drinking song; first use of the word "fuck" in a major U.S novel?; filmed in 1953. In 1958 he pub. Some Came Running; Midwest brothers Frank and Dave Hirsch. In 1962 he pub. The Thin Red Line (Sept.); #2 in his WWII trilogy; "The thin red line between the sane and the insane"; the 1942-3 Battle of Guadalcanal and the Dec.-Jan. Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse ; Pvt. Witt, Pvt. Bell, Col. Tall; "This book is cheerfully dedicated to those greatest and most heroic of all human endeavors, WAR and WARFARE; may they never cease to give us the pleasure, excitement and adrenal stimulation that we need, or provide us with the heroes, the presidents and the leaders, the monuments and museums which we erect to them in the name of PEACE"; filmed in 1964. In 1967 he pub. Go to the Widow-Maker; a man proves his masculinity by hunting sharks; "thick wedges of plain atrocious writing" (William Styron). In 1971 he pub. The Merry Month of May; an Am. family experiences the 1968 Paris riots. In 1973 he pub. A Touch of Danger. In 1976 he pub. WW II. In 1978 Whistle is pub. posth., completed by Willie Morris, completing his war trilogy of "From Here to Eternity" (1951) and "The Thin Red Line" (1962), containing "just about everything I have ever had to say, or will ever have to say, on the human condition of war"; four wounded South Pacific vets in a veterans hospital in Luxor,, Tenn., incl. Mart Winch, Bobby Prell, Marion Landers, and Johnny Strange (same as Welsh, Witt, Fife and Storm in the Thin Red Line).

Brian Moore (1921-99)

In 1951 Belfast, Northern Ireland-born Brian Moore (1921-99) (pr. BREE-an) pub. his first novel Wreath for a Redhead (Sailor's Leave); also The Executioners.

J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger (1919-2010), 1951

On Aug. 12, 1951 New York City-born J.D. (Jerome David) Salinger (1919-2010) pub. The Catcher in the Rye, becoming the first social commentary about U.S. pop culture, which becomes a giant hit for students, selling 65M copies by 2008; two days in the life of preppie Holden Caulfield, who is about to be kicked out of Pencey Prep in New York City and runs away for three days, staying at the derelict Edmont Hotel, dancing with three tourist girls from Seattle, hiring a ho then chickening out, getting beaten up twice, visiting a museum to see the Eskimo statues, reminiscing about his dead brother Allie, visiting "perverty" English teacher Mr. Antolini, and taking his little sister Phoebe to the zoo, commenting on how the world is ruled by "phonies", and he wants to be a catcher in the rye to keep kids from falling off a cliff and having to face life, finally ending up in a psych ward; opening line: "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth"; "Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules"; in 1953 Salinger moves to Cornish, N.H. to live the live of a recluse; his obsession with privacy even extends to the book cover, which ends up plain red. In 1953 he pub. Nine Stories; incl. "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish", "For Esme - with Love and Squalor", "Down at the Dinghy", "Uncle Wiggly in Connecticut", "Teddy"; an orgy of spiritual malaise? In 1961 he pub. Franny and Zooey, two stories set in Nov. 1955 about the Glass family (sister-brother) in New England during the Yale football game; she likes to carry "The Way of the Pilgrim" and is suffering a nervous breakdown after a date with Lane Coutell; he tries to talk her out of it by reminding her of their brother Seymour's advice (during their radio whiz-kid days), "Do your best for the Fat Lady in the listening audience".

'The Teahouse of the August Moon' by Vern Sneider (1916-81), 1951

In 1951 Monroe, Mich.-born Vernon J. "Vern" Sneider (1916-81) pub. The Teahouse of the August Moon; democracy comes to an Okinawa village. In 1953 he pub. A Pair of Oysters. In 1956 he pub. A Long Way from Home and other Stories.

William Styron (1925-2006)

In 1951 Newport News, Va.-born William Clark Styron Jr. (1925-2006) pub. his first novel Lie Down in Darkness. In 1960 he pub. Set This House on Fire. In 1967 he pub. The Confessions of Nat Turner: A Meditation on History, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1979 he pub. Sophie's Choice, based on a real person he met, set in 1947, narrated by his alter ego Stingo, about Sophie's horrible Nazi concentration camp experiences, take my sweet little girl and spare my boy, woo woo woo; the tremendous guilt of surviving; filmed in 1982.

Herman Wouk (1915-) Herman Wouk (1915-)

On Mar. 19, 1951 New York City-born Herman Wouk (1915-) (pr. woke) pub. The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II, about a minesweeper, winning a Pulitzer Prize. In 1955 he pub. Marjorie Morningstar, a bestseller about Marjorie Morgenstern, a young Jewish woman in 1930s New York City who aspires to become an actress and hooks up with playwright Noel Airman; filmed in 1958 starring Natalie Wood. In 1971 he pub. The Winds of War, vol. 2 of a 2-vol. series about Victor "Pug" Henry of the U.S. Navy and his family during WWII; "the American War and Peace". In 1978 he pub. War and Remembrance; sequel to "The Winds of War" (1971), continuing the story of the cardboard cutout Henry and Jastrow families from Dec. 15-Aug. 6, 1945.

Louis Auchincloss (1917-)

In 1952 Lawrence, N.Y.-born Louis Stanton Auchincloss (1917-) (pr. AWK-in-closs), "Last of the Gentlemen Novelists" pub. his first novel Sybil; not to be confused with the 1973 book by Flora Schreiber. In 1953 he pub. A Law for the Lion. In 1956 he pub. The Great World and Timothy Colt. In 1958 he pub. Venus in Sparta. In 1959 he pub. Pursuit of the Prodigal. In 1960 he pub. The House of Five Talents. In 1962 he pub. Portrait in Brownstone. In 1964 he pub. The Rector of Justin. In 1966 he pub. The Embezzler. In 1968 he pub. A World of Profit. In 1972 he pub. I Come as a Thief. In 1977 he pub. The Dark Lady. On July 31, 1978 he pub. The Country Cousin; Old Dolly and Young Amy live in sin with Cousin Herman in Greenwich Village. In 1980 he pub. The House of the Prophet. In 1981 he pub. The Cat and the King; Louis de Rouvroy, 2nd duc de Saint-Simon at the court of Sun King Louis XIV. In 1982 he pub. Watchfires; an upper-class see-saw marriage in New York City in 1860-8. In 1983 he pub. Exit Lady Masham; Abigail Hill. In 1984 he pub. The Book Class. In Dec. 1986 he pub. Honourable Men; Chip Benedict and Alida Struthers. In 1987 he pub. Diary of a Yuppie; corporate takeover expert Bob Service. In 1988 he pub. The Golden Calves. In 1989 he pub. Fellow Passengers: A Novel in Portraits. In 1990 he pub. The Lady of Situations; Natica Chauncey. In 1993 he pub. Three Lives. In 1995 he pub. The Education of Oscar Fairfax. In 2000 he pub. Her Infinite Variety; a career woman in the early 20th cent. In 2003 he pub. The Scarlet Letters; his 59th book. In 2004 he pub. East Side Story. In 2007 he pub. The Headmaster's Dilemma;

Truman Capote (1924-84)

In 1952 gay New Orleans, La.-born Truman Capote (Truman Streckfus Persons) (1924-84) pub. The Grass Harp. In 1958 he pub. Breakfast at Tiffany's; first pub. in Esquire; filmed in 1961; Upper East Manhattan call girl Holly Golightly (based on Am. supermodel Dorian Leigh and "How to Marry a Millionaire" author Doris Lilly) and her young writer admirer Fred "Buster"; she goes to Tiffany's when she gets the "mean reds"; "It's tacky to wear pearls before you're forty"; Capote later tells Walter Matthau's wife Carol Matthau (1925-2003) that Golightly was modeled after her. On Nov. 14-15, 1959 in wheat-and-sunflowerland Holcomb, Kan. (Finney County) farmers Herb and Bonnie Clutter and their two children are murdered by traveling ex-cons Richard Eugene "Dick" Hickock (1931-65) and Perry Edward Smith (1928-65), who had a wrong tip that the family had $10K in cash in a safe; Time mag. of Nov. 30 titles the incident "In Cold Blood"; Truman Capote, accompanied by childhood friend Harper Lee rides a train from New York City to Garden City, Kan., then to Holcomb to interview the killers and KBI agent Alvin Dewey Jr. (1912-87), then attends the trial sitting in the front row of the 3rd floor courtroom in Garden City taking notes and keeping friendly with the killers. On Apr. 14, 1965 they are hanged in Lanswing, er, Lansing, Kan. - their last meal better not have been a hero sandwich? In Jan. 1966 he pub. the "non-fiction novel" In Cold Blood, first pub. in The New Yorker starting on Sept. 25, 1965, which becomes the 2nd best-selling true crime book after Vincent Bugliosi's 1974 "Helter Skelter"; truth is more interesting than fiction?; his last finished work; both killers are executed on Apr. 1, 1965 long after Capote abandons them - and exposes their popsicle toes, with all your faults I love you still, it had to be you, wonderful you?

Ralph Ellison (1914-94)

In 1952 Oklahoma City, Okla.-born Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914-94) pub. his first novel Invisible Man; "I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids - and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because other people refuse to see me... I can hear you say, 'What a horrible, irresponsible bastard!" And you're right... But to whom can I be responsible, when you refuse to see me?" In 1960 he pub. The Man with Nine Lives (The Sound of a Scythe).

Cyril Michael Kornbluth (1923-58) Frederik Pohl (1919-)

In 1952 New York City-born sci-fi novelist Cyril Michael Kornbluth (1923-58) pub. Takeoff; also he and Frederik Pohl (1919-) (AKA Elton Andrews) pub. The Space Merchants. In 1953 he pub. The Syndic. In 1954 they pub. Search the Sky, followed by Gladiator-at-Law (1955), and Wolfbane (1959), set in 2203 after a rogue planet populated by the Pyramids steals Earth, sends it into interstellar space, and turns the Moon into a sun. In 1956 Pohl pub. Slave Ship, about a low-intensity global war between the U.S. and the Cow-Dyes (Caodai), where the CIA telepaths fall victim to the fatal Glotch caused by a Caodai bioweapon. In 1965 he pub. A Plague of Pythons, about the 8th plague of Earth; repub. in 1984 as "Demon in the Skull". In 1969 he pub. The Age of the Pussyfoot; Charles Dalgleish Forrester is cryofrozen in 2027 and revived in 2527, finding that his insurance has made him wealthy enough to buy a Joymaker PC. In 1976 he pub. Man Plus, about cyborg humans colonizing Mars. In 1977 he pub. Gateway. In 1979 he pub. Jem. In 1981 he pub. The Cool War, about a world reliant on solar power. In 1984 he pub. Years of the City. In 1986 he pub. The Coming of the Quantum Cats; alternate Earths where Nancy Reagan is pres. and JFK stays a senator and marries Marilyn, America goes far-right and Ronald Reagan stays on the left, and Joseph Stalin moves to America and becomes a capitalist. In 1988 he pub. Narabedla Ltd. (Aldebaran backwards), about an alien corp. run by human agents. In 1991 he pub. Stopping at Slowyear, about a planet with a 19-year-long year, and sheep with a form of prion disease. In 2011 he pub. All the Lives He Led.

Bernard Malamud (1914-86)

In 1952 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Bernard Malamud (1914-86) pub. his first novel The Natural, about promising baseball player Roy, who gets shot, gives up his career, then comes back when he's too old and beats them all, woo woo woo?; best novel about baseball ever written? He becomes one of the Big Three U.S. Jewish Writers of the 20th Cent. incl. Saul Bellow (1915-2005) and Philip Roth (1933-2018). In 1961 he pub. A New Life, an autobio. novel about a New York Jew making a fresh start in a "cow college" in Ore (Ore. State U.). In 1966 he pub. The Fixer, which wins a Pulitzer Prize, about the 1913 Manahem Mendel Beilis trial, a Jew framed for murder in tsarist Russia; "No such thing as an unpolitical man"; becomes a hit with civil rights activists. In 1971 he pub. The Tenants; Jewish writer Harry Lesser and black writer Willie Spearmint battle each other in a condemned East Side New York apt. bldg.

Flannery O'Connor (1925-64)

In 1952 Savannah, Ga.-born Mary Flannery (Gael. "red-haired") O'Connor (1925-64) pub. her first novel Wise Blood; Hazel Motes returns from the war to his hometown, finds it kaput, and goes to the big city of Taulkinham, shacking up with a 15-y.-o. girl and becoming a street corner preacher of the Church Without Christ, with the soundbyte "I'm going to preach there was no Fall because there was nothing to fall from and no Redemption because there was no Fall and no Judgment because there wasn't the first two. Nothing matters but that Jesus was a liar." In 1955 she pub. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007)

In 1952 Indianapolis, Ind.-born Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007) pub. Player Piano; "At this point in history, 1952 A.D., our lives and freedom depend largely upon the skill and imagination and courage of our managers and engineers..."; Ilium, N.Y. In 1959 he pub. The Sirens of Titan; a Martian invasion of Earth. In 1963 he pub. Cat's Cradle, about A-bomb co-inventor Felix Hoenikker (based on Irving Langmuir), who is playing you know what when the Hiroshima bomb is dropped, and also invents ice-nine, a molecule capable of freezing all the water on Earth, which narrator John (AKA Jonah) and the Hoenniker children take to the poor Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, where Bokononism, a new religion based on the absurdity of life and rubbing feet flourishes, and where the word "foma" (Thomas in Russian) means harmless lies; in 1971 the U. of Chicago awards Vonnegut a master's degree in anthropology for this novel. In 1965 he pub. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, or Pearls Before Swine; "A sum of money is a leading character in this tale about people, just as a sum of honey might properly be a leading character in a tale about bees. The sum was $87,472,033.61 on June 1, 1964, to pick a day." In 1968 he pub. the short story collection Welcome to the Monkey House, rev. of "Canary in a Cathouse" (1962); incl. Harrison Bergeron (first pub. in 1961), about the 211th-213th amendments to the U.S. Constitution which punish excellence via handicapping. In 1969 he pub. Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death; shell-shocked Battle of the Bulge POW Chaplain's Asst. Billy Pilgrim witnesses the Feb. 13-15, 1945 firebombing of Dresden, then becomes "unstuck in time" and time-trips to the planet Tralfamadore, where he is put in a zoo and mated with a movie star; "All this happened, more or less" (first sentence); "That was I. That was me. That was the author of this book" (last sentence); "The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the zipper on the fly of God Almighty"; his wife Valencia Merble and their son Robert Pilgrim, Kilgore Trout (based on the sci-fi writer Theodore Sturgeon), Roland Weary, Paul Lazzaro, Edgar Derby, Howard W. Campbell Jr., Montana Wildhack, "Wild Bob"; his masterpiece?; "You'll either love it, or push it back in the science-fiction corner" (NYT Book Review); filmed in 1972. In 1973 he pub. Breakfast of Champions; or Goodbye Blue Monday; title is a General Mills slogan; about "two lonesome, skinny old men on a planet which was dying fast", namely, Planet Tralfamadore of "Slaughterhouse Five" (1969) fame; Pontiac Dealer Dwayne Hoover, and sci-fi writer Kilgore Trout (himself), who meet in Midland City, where Trout's book "Now It Can Be Told" turns Hoover into a homicidal maniac. In 1976 he pub. Slapstick; or, Lonesome No More!; the last pres. of the U.S. suffers from Tourette's Syndrome and becomes the king of Manhattan (Island of Death) with his twin sister. In 1979 he pub. Jailbird; about the Watergate scandal, or about Roy M. Cohn? In 1982 he pub. Deadeye Dick, a death of innocence novel about Rudy "Deadeye Dick" Waltz, who mistakenly shoots a pregnant woman between the eyes while she is vacuuming, then writes his memoirs, detailing the explosion of a neutron bomb in Midland, Ohio. In 1985 he pub. Galapagos; after an apocalypse the last humans on Santa Rosalia evolve into seal-people. In 1990 he pub. Hocus Pocus. In 1997 he pub. Timequake; people in Feb. 13, 2001 are thrown back to 1991; Kilgore Trout again.

Alfred Bester (1913-87)

In 1953 Alfred "Alfie" Bester (1913-87) pub. his first novel The Demolished Man, a sci-fi detective novel featuring telepathy, which becomes the winner of the first Hugo Award for sci-fi; also Who He? (The Rat Race); a TV game show host blacks out then wakes up and discovers that someone is out to get him. In 1955 he pub. The Stars My Destination (Tiger, Tiger); Gully Foyle does "The Count of Monte Cristo" with teleportation; ancestor of cyberpunk? In 1975 he pub. Extro (The Computer Connection) (The Indian Giver); Ned Curzon (AKA Guigol) becomes immortal via the destruction of Krakatoa, along with Nemo, Herb Wells, the Syndicate, Hillel the Jew, Borgia, Jacy, Sam Pepys, Dr. Sequoya Guess, and the supercomputer Extro. In 1980 he pub. Golem; Regina and her Bee Ladies conjure the Devil. In 1981 he pub. his last sci-fi novel The Deceivers, about Rogue Winter the Synergist.

Davis Grubb (1919-80)

In 1953 Moundsville, W. Va.-born Davis Grubb (1919-80) pub. his first novel The Night of the Hunter, a bestseller about serial killer Harry Powers (1892-1932); filmed in 1955 starring Robert Mitchum. He goes on to publish several more novels about beautiful Moundsville.

Leicester Hemingway (1915-82)

In 1953 Oak Park, Ill.-born Leicester C. Hemingway (1915-82) (brother of Ernest Hemingway) pub. his first novel The Sound of the Trumpet.

Louis L'Amour (1908-88)

In 1953 Jamestown, N.D.-born ("Homer of the Oater" - Time mag.) Louis Dearborn L'Amour (LaMoore) (1908-88) pub. his first hit (his masterpiece?) Hondo, based on the story "The Gift of Cochise", about Hondo Lane, Angie Lowe, and Indian warrior Vittorio, establishing his genre of tough loner gunman and damsel in distress with period touches - give me a big fat hairy howl? In 1960 he pub. Daybreakers, followed in 1961 by Sackett, launching the Sackett Series, about the Sackett family, who come from The Fens of Cambridgeshire, England, and work their way W over the Atlantic to the Great Plains, Rockies, and Calif. In 1962 he pub. Lando; Orlando Sackett searches for his father's gold in Mexico and ends up in a horrible Mexican jail. In 1965 he pub. The Sackett Brand. In 1966 he pub. Mustang Man. In 1969 he pub. The Lonely Men, another Sackett novel. In 1972 he pub. Treasure Mountain; Orrin and Tell Sackett look for their lost father in La. In 1974 he pub. Sackett's Land. In 1976 he pub. To the Far Blue Mountains. In 1980 he pub. The Warrior's Path; Yance and Kin Sackett search for Yance's kidnapped sister-in-law. "The most interesting man in the world." - John Wayne.

Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)

In 1953 Detroit, Mich. advertising copywriter Elmore John Leonard Jr. (1925-2013) pub. his first novel The Bounty Hunters, and the short story Three-Ten (3:10) to Yuma (Mar.), filmed in 1957. In 1954 he pub. The Law at Randado. In 1956 he pub. Escape from Five Shadows. In 1957 he pub. The Captives. In 1959 he pub. Last Stand at Saber River. In 1961 he pub. Hombre; filmed in 1967. In 1969 he pub. The Moonshine War; also The Big Bounce; his first crime novel, rejected 84x by publishers before appearing in paperback. In 1970 he pub. Valdez is Coming. In 1972 he pub. Forty Lashes Less One, about Chiricahua Apache Raymond San Carlos and black ex-soldier Harold Jackson in Yuma Prison. In 1974 he pub. 52 Pickup; Detroit businesman Harry Mitchell is blackmailed over a sexual affair; also Mr. Majestyk; Vietnam vet tries to farm melons in Ariz. while fighting the local mob. In 1976 he pub. Swag; small-time criminal Ernest Stickley Jr. and used car salesman Frank Ryan. In 1977 he pub. Unknown Man No. 89; The Hunted. In 1978 he pub. The Switch; Ordell Robbie and Louis Garza get out of prison and plan a kidnapping of the wife of a wealthy Detroit businessman, only to find out he doesn't want her back, pissing her off and causing her to work with them for revenge. In 1979 he pub. Gunsights. In 1980 he pub. City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit; serial murderer Clement Mansell AKA the Okla. Wildman and homicide detective Raymond Cruz; Gold Coast; Fla. mob boss Frank DiCilia dies and leaves his gorgeous widow Karen everything on condition that she never has another man, tasking his thug Roland to watch her, but she tries it anyway with ex-con Cal Maguire. In 1981 he pub. Split Images. In 1982 he pub. Cat Chaser; Fla. hotel mgr. George Moran hooks up with the wife of Dominican ex-military enforcer Andres de Boya. In 1983 he pub. Stick; an ex-con tries to go straight but is tempted by a revenge scam; LaBrava; ex-Secret Service agent Joe LaBrava and ex-movie queen Jean Shaw. In 1985 he pub. Glitz; psycho mama's boy Teddy Magyk wants to get even with a Miami cop. In 1987 he pub. Bandits; Jack Delaney, Sister Lucy, and a Nicaraguan col.; Touch; Brother Juvenal becomes Charlie Lawson, caring for alcoholics in Detroit and developing Sigmata that cause miracles, attracting flashy promoter Bill Hill and right-winger August Murray and falling in love with Lynn Faulkner. In 1988 he pub. Freaky Deaky; ex-bomb squad member Chris Mankowski in Detroit, Mich. In 1990 he pub. Get Shorty, about Miami loan shark Chili Palmer; filmed in 1995. In 1999 he pub. Be Cool, about Chili Palmer's exploits in the LA music biz; filmed in 2005.

Ira Levin (1929-2007)

In 1953 Bronx, N.Y.-born Ira Levin (1929-2007) pub. his first novel A Kiss Before Dying, about a college student resorting to murder of two heiress sisters in a row; filmed in 1956 and 1991. In 1958 he pub. Interlock. In 1967 he pub. Rosemary's Baby, a bestseller about Baby 666, born on June 6, 1966 in Jew York City, launching the contemporary horror genre; filmed in 1968. In 1970 he pub. This Perfect Day, about Chip, who lives in a future society run by computer; "Don't thank me, thank Uni." In 1972 he pub. The Stepford Wives, about suburban women who become automatons who love to serve their hubbies. In 1976 he pub. The Boys from Brazil, about a neo-Nazi plot to clone little Hitlers, yi yi yi; filmed in 1978. In 1990 he pub. Sliver. In 1997 he pub. Son of Rosemary.

Leon Uris (1924-2003)

In 1953 Baltimore, Md.-born Leon Marcus Uris (1924-2003) (Heb. "Yerushalmi" = man of Jerusalem) pub. his first novel Battle Cry, which becomes a bestseller, about former U.S. Marine Danny Forrester (#359195); Uris became a heroin addict in 1944 and killed his wife in 1951 trying to shoot an apple off her head, then sells his typewriter next year to buy heroin, and stays addicted until 1957 while writing in longhand and sleeping around like an alley cat - the perfect lifestyle for a struggling novelist? In 1955 he pub. The Angry Hills. In 1958 he pub. Exodus; bestseller; the number 359195 is tattooed onto Dov Landau's forearm; filmed in 1960. In 1961 he pub. Mila 18, about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. In June 1967 he pub. Topaz, the Cuban Missile Crisis from the POV of French intel officer Devereaux; filmed in 1969. In 1970 he pub. QB VII; a Polish doctor in a Nazi concentration camp sues a writer for libel in Britain, and wins a half-penny damages after they only prove he operated on 1K POWs without anesthesia instead of 15K; based on Uris' experience being sued by Polish Auschwitz surgeon Wladislaw Dering over his novel "Exodus", who wins you know what. In 1976 he pub. Trinity; the Irish independence struggle (an Irish Exodus?); Bobby Sands' favorite book? In 1984 he pub. The Haj; a struggle for water rights in the village of Tabah in the Ayalon Valley between muktar Haj Ibrahim and Gideon Asch. In 1988 he pub. Mitla Pass. In 1995 he pub. Redemption. In 1999 he pub. A God in Ruins. In 2003 he pub. O'Hara's Choice; Amanda and Zachary.

David Wagoner (1926-)

In 1953 Massillon, Ohio-born David Wagoner (1926-) pub. his debut poetry collection Dry Sun, Dry Wind. In 1965 he pub. his first novel The Escape Artist, about Danny Masters, who boasts that he will escape from jail in 1 hour; filmed in 1982.

Edward Paul Abbey (1927-89)

In 1954 Indiana, Penn.-born Edward Paul Abbey (1927-89) ("the Thoreau of the American West" - Larry McMurtry) pub. his first novel Jonathan Troy. In 1956 he pub. The Brave Cowboy. In 1962 he pub. Fire on the Mountain; John Vogelin vs. the govt. in the N.M. wilderness. In 1968 he pub. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness; U.S. forest ranger inspires the modern environmentalist movement along with the ecoterrorist movement. In 1971 he pub. Black Sun; a fire lookout at a nat. park falls for a girl half his age, who then disappears, causing him to be blamed. In 1975 he pub. The Monkey Wrench Gang; bestseller (500K copies) about an underground group of ecoterrorists in the Am. West, inspiring the 1980 formation of the Earth First! org.; followed by "Fool's Progress" (1981). In 1980 he pub. Good News; society collapses. On Aug. 15, 1988 he pub. The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel, about his alter ego Lightcap. In 1989 he pub. his last novel Hayduke Lives!

Philip K. Dick (1928-82) 'Blade Runner', starring Harrison Ford (1942-), 1982

In 1954 Cedarwood, Colo.-raised Philip Kindred Dick (1928-82) ("the American Kafka") pub. The World Jones Made, which introduces the concept of a precog, a person who can see the future. In 1959 he pub. Time Out of Joint. In 1963 he pub. The Man in the High Castle; the Nazis won the war, but a girl from Canon City, Colo. travels to Denver to see whether they really did; his masterpiece? In 1965 he pub. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, set in the 21st cent., when the Proxans raise the temperature of Earth to force humans to leave for other worlds, causing many to escape with the illegal drug CAN-D and layouts and create a religious cult around Perky Pat. In 1968 he pub. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?; a Blade Runner tries to buy a real sheep in a world without animals to prove he's not an android?; filmed in 1982 as "Blade Runner". In 1969 he pub. Ubik, set in 1992, where anti-telepath technician Joe Chip works for the "prudence organization" of Glen Runciter to enforce privacy against telepaths. On Feb. 3, 1973 "Total Recall", "Minority Reporter", "A Scanner Darkly" sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick (1928-82) has his 2-3-73 Episode when his pain medication for a recent wisdom tooth surgery is delivered by a "divine messenger" who shows him the face of God scanning the Earth from a place in the sky, causing him ever after to believe that the Universe we inhabit is "fake", and that a version of himself died, requiring him to explore theology and philosophy; on Mar. 2, 1980 he writes in his journal that he has been shown the secrets of the cosmos, so there was no reason for God to keep him around; he has a stroke and dies on Mar. 2, 1982.

Richard Jessup (1925-82)

In 1954 Savannah, Ga.-born Richard Jessup (1925-82) pub. his first novel The Cunning and the Haunted, based on his experience in orphanages. In 1962 he pub. Target for Tonight; novelization of the BBC-TV series "Danger Man". In 1969 he pub. Sailor. In 1981 he pub. his last novel Threat.

John Oliver Killens (1916-87)

In 1954 Macon, Ga.-born John Oliver Killens (1916-87) pub. his first novel Youngblood, about the Youngblood family of Crossroads, Ga. In 1962 he pub. And Then We Heard the Thunder, about mistreatment of black soldiers in the U.S. military. In 1967 he pub. Sippi; black sharecropper Jesse Chaney and white Miss. plantation owner Charles Wakefield in 1954 confont black civil rights. In 1971 he pub. The Cotillion, or One Good Bull is Half the Herd; Yoruba of Harlem attends an African-Am. high society cotillion in Queens.

Jack Finney (1911-95) 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', 1956

In 1955 Milwaukee, Wisc.-born Jack Finney (1911-95) pub. The Body Snatchers; first pub. in Colliers in 1954; alien invaders in seed-pod form take over sleeping human bodies in Santa Mira, Calif. with emotionless duplicates that only live five years, threatening humanity with extinction; satire of modern conformity?; filmed in 1956, 1978, 1993, and 2007 - there's something about the word snatch that causes them to flock to the theaters? On Feb. 5, 1956 Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers, written by Daniel Mainairing based on the 1955 Jack Finney novel about the Pod People stars Kevin McCarthy (brother of writer Mary McCarthy) in a post-McCarthy paranoid sci-fi epic starring a, er, McCarthy?

William Gaddis (1922-98)

In 1955 New York City-born William Gaddis (1922-98) pub. his first novel The Recognitions In 1975 he pub. JR; an 11-y.-o. boy gets rich on the stock market. In 1985 he pub. Carpenter's Gothic. In 1994 he pub. A Frolic of His Own; everybody sues somebody; the Japanese car is called the Sosumi.

Mario Puzo (1920-99)

In 1955 New York City-born Mario Puzo (1920-99) pub. his first novel Dark Arena. In 1965 he pub. The Fortunate Pilgrim. In 1969 he pub. The Godfather, which becomes the fastest-selling novel in U.S. history, with 8M paperbacks sold and worldwide sales of 21M copies, about the saga of Sicilian-born Am. Mafia boss Vito Andolini (1891-1955) who fled in 1901 from Corleone, Sicily to New York City after his parents and older brother were killed by Mafia boss Don Ciccio, going on to make it big in organized crime under the name Don Vito Corleone and make a quick trip back in 1925 to get revenge; "Amerigo Bonsera... waited for justice: vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter"; filmed in 1972. In 1978 he pub. Fools Die, about a bigtime gambler.

Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-91)

In 1955 Leoncin, Poland-born Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-91) pub. his first English novel Satan in Goray. In 1960 he pub. The Magician of Lublin; Yasha Mazur in late 19th cent. Poland. In 1962 he pub. The Slave; Wandering Jew Jacob in 17th cent. Poland. In 1967 he pub. The Manor; 19th cent. Jewish Poland faces the modern world. In 1969 he pub. the sequel The Estate. In 1970 he pub. Enemies: A Love Story; his first novel set in the U.S., about a Polish Jew who marries the woman who helped him escape from the Nazis, then finds that his first is still alive. On Oct. 23, 1975 he and Leah Napolin debut their play Yentl at the Eugene O'Neill Theater in New York City for 223 perf., based on his short story "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy", starring Hy Anzell and Tovah Feldshuh; filmed in 1983. In 1978 he wins the Nobel Lit. Prize. In 1983 he pub. The Penitent; Holocaust survivor Joseph Shapiro forsakes his faith.

Sloan Wilson (1920-2003)

In 1955 Norwalk, Conn.-born Sloan Wilson (1920-2003) pub. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, about Tom and Betsy Rath; filmed in 1956. In 1958 he pub. A Summer Place; filmed in 1959. In 1979 he pub. Ice Brothers; WWII Coast Guard ice trawler Arluk; favorite of the Unabomber?

Frank Herbert (1920-86)

In 1956 Tacoma, Wash.-born Irish-Am. writer Frank Patrick Herbert (1920-86) pub. Under Pressure (The Dragon in the Sea), which inspires Sir William Rede Hawthorne (1913-) to invent the Dracone, a floating barge made of rubbered cloth that can be filled with crude oil and towed; too bad, nightmares of it leaking cause it to be killed. In 1965 he pub. Dune after it was rejected by 13 pubs. before Chilton (Radnor, Penn.) takes a chance on it, about Paul Muaddib, the Messiah of dune planet Arrakis; "I must not fear; fear is the mind-killer" (Bene-Gesserits). In 1982 he pub. The White Plague; a disgruntled Irish-Am. scientist invents a plague which only strikes women; sci-fi on the surface, Celtic potshots at the stankin' English beneath.

Ed McBain (1926-2005)

In 1956 New York City-born Ed McBain (Salvatore Albert Lombino) (1926-2005) pub. Cop Hater, the first of 55 novels about the 87th Police Precinct and detective hero Steve Carella, the conscience of the squad room, inventing the police procedural.

Grace Metalious (1924-64)

In 1956 Manchester, N.H.-born Grace Metalious (1924-64) ("Pandora in bluejeans") pub. Peyton Place (working title "The Tree and the Blossom"), about incest in a New England town, based on Gilmanton, Laconia, and Alton, N.H.; 2nd U.S. blockbuster novel after "Gone With the Wind" (1936); sells more copies than any other novel in the U.S. prior to 1960 (Harper Lee), staying #1 for 26 weeks, and on the bestseller list for two years; Puritanical advance publicity calling it "trash" causes it to climb to #4 prior to release; gets her small town school principal hubby George fired?; "If I'm a lousy writer, then an awful lot of people have lousy taste"; "Even Tom Sawyer had a girlfriend, and to talk about adults without talking about their sex drives is like talking about a window without glass". In 1959 she pub. Return to Peyton Place.

James Purdy (1914-2009)

In 1956 Hicksville, Ohio-born gay writer James Otis Purdy (1914-2009) (as in "He's got a real purdy mouth, ain't he?") (later known for writing anon. letters to people then laughing when they don't realize it's worth a lot as a collector's item) pub. his debut collection of short stories 63: Dream Palace; the English ed. censors the word "motherfucker". In 1959 he pub. his first novel Malcolm, which becomes an undergrad favorite in the U.S. In 1961 he pub. The Nephew. In 1963 he pub. Children is All. In 1965 he pub. Cabot Wright Begins. In 1967 he pub. Eustace Chisholm and the Works; a bunch of guys squatting in a Depression Era Chicago tax-overdue house, and doing gay tricks to eat; becomes a gay classic. In 1970 he pub. Jeremy's Version, first of the Sleepers in Moon-Crowded Valleys Trilogy, incl. "Mourners Below" (1981), "The House of the Solitary Maggot" (1986); "No one hated more dearly my home town of Boutflour, planked down in the far south in this Yankee state, than my Uncle Matt Lacey." In 1972 he pub. I Am Elijah Thrush; an artist seeks artistic independence. In 1974 he pub. The House of the Solitary Maggot; In 1975 he pub. In a Shallow Grave; a disfigured war vet searches for his childhood sweetheart. In 1976 he pub. In a Shallow Grave; disfigured vet Garnet Montrose woos childhood sweetheart widow Georgina Rance while Qintus Pearch reads to him and Potter Daventry courts her for him, but falls in love and marries her, after which a freak storm carries him away. On Feb. 28, 1978 he pub. Narrow Rooms; a group of young gay men in W. Va. go down the toilet because of their unfufilled desires for each other; also Lessons and Complaints. In 1980 he pub. Dream Palaces: Three Novels. In 1984 he pub. On Glory's Course. In Aug. 1986 he pub. In the Hollow of His Hand; Ojibwa Indian Decaur returns from WWI to the Midwestern town of Yellow Brook and his son Chad Coultas. In 1989 he pub. Garments the Living Wear. In 1992 he pub. Out with the Stars; In 1995 he pub. Epistles of Care. In 1996 he pub. Gertrude of Stony Island Avenue.

William Eastlake (1917-97)

In 1956 Am. writer William Eastlake (1917-97) pub. his first novel Go in Beauty, #1 in the Checkerboard Trilogy, which incl. Bronc People (1958), and Portrait of an Artist with Twenty-Six Horses (1963). In 1965 he pub. Castle Keep, about U.S. soldiers trying to defend a Belgian castle filled with artwork during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge, which is filmed in 1969 by Sydney Pollack, starring Burt Lancaster. In 1969 he pub. The Bamboo Bed. In 1975 he pub. The Long, Naked Descent into Boston. In 1984 he pub. his last novel Jack Armstrong in Tangier.

John D. MacDonald (1916-86)

In 1957 Sharon, Penn.-born John Dann MacDonald (1916-86) pub. The Executioners; filmed under the title "Cape Fear" in 1962 and 1991. In 1964 he pub. The Deep Blue Good-by, first in series of 21 novels about "salvage consultant" Travis McGee, "knight in rusting armor", who lives on his 52-ft. houseboat "Busted Flush", docked at Slip F-18, Bahia Mar Marine, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and makes his living recovering loot from thefts and swindles and keeping half; also Nightmare in Pink; A Purple Place for Dying; The Quick Red Fox. In 1975 he pub. The Dreadful Lemon Sky.

Thomas Berger (1924-)

In 1958 Cincinnati, Ohio-born Thomas Louis Berger (1924-) pub. his first novel Crazy in Love. In 1962 he pub. Reinhart in Love. In 1964 he pub. Little Big Man; a white boy is raised by the Cheyenne; filmed in 1970 starring Dustin Hoffman. In 1967 he pub. Killing Time; the mind of a mass murderer in the violent U.S. In 1970 he pub. Vital Parts. In 1973 he pub.Regiment of Women; women's libbers take over the world in 2125. In 1975 he pub. Sneaky People; a man plots to murder his wife. In 1978 he pub. Who is Teddy Villanova?; detective novel satire about a hardluck P.I. in New York City; also Arthur Rex: A Legendary Novel (Dec. 31); his take on the King Arthur legend. In 1980 he pub. Neighbors; Earl Keese and his free spirit neighbors Harry and Ramona; filmed in 1981 starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. In 1981 he pub. Reinhart's Women; Carlo Reinhart in his 50s. In June 1983 he pub. The Feud; the Bullards and the Beelers start a feud after a hardware store owner asks a customer to put out his cigar. On Sept. 1, 1986 he pub. Nowhere. In 1987 he pub. Being Invisible; adman Fred Wagner can make himself invisible. In 1988 he pub. The Houseguest; Chuck Burgoyne. In 1989 he pub. Changing the Past. In 1990 he pub. Orrie's Story; retelling of the Oresteia, with Agamemnon as a WWII vet. In 1992 he pub. Meeting Evil. In 1994 he pub. Robert Crews. In 1996 he pub. Suspects. In 1999 he pub. The Return of Little Big Man; sequel to "Little Big Man" (1964).

Eugene Burdick (1918-65) William Lederer (1912-2009) John Harvey Wheeler (1918-2004) 'Fail-Safe' by Eugene Burdick (1918-65) and John Harvey Wheeler (1918-2004), 1962

In 1958 Sheldon, Iowa-born Eugene Burdick (1918-65) and New York City-born William Julius Lederer Jr. (1912-2009) pub. the bestseller The Ugly American, about how U.S. officials should learn local languages and customs to win hearts and minds in Indochina. In Oct. 1962 Burdick and Waco, Tex.-born John Harvey Wheeler (1918-2004) pub. Fail-Safe, about a computer glitch that causes USAF nuclear bombers to attack the Soviet Union; filmed in 1964; Wheeler was born in Waco, Tex., natch? In 1964 Burdick pub. The 480: A Novel of Politics; engineer John Tatch seeks the 1964 Repub. pres. nomination, and computers are used to simulate 480 groups to forecast his probable success. In 1965 he pub. Nina's Book. In 1966 Burdick and Lederer Sarkhan; Southeast Asian nation Sarkhan is targeted for Commie takeover. In 1977 they pub. The Deceptive American.

Richard Condon (1915-96)

In 1958 New York City-born Richard Thomas Condon (1915-96) pub. his first novel The Oldest Confession. In 1959 he pub. The Manchurian Candidate; dedicated to Max E. Youngstein, his former boss at United Artists, who helped him get set up in a house in Mexico to become a novelist; filmed in 1962. In 1960 he pub. Some Angry Angel. In 1961 he pub. A Talent for Loving. In 1965 he pub. An Infinity of Mirrors. In 1966 he pub. Any God Will Do. In 1967 he pub. The Ecstasy Business. In 1969 he pub. Mile High; another Mafia boss named Don Vito in a worthy competitor to Mario Puzo. In 1982 he pub. Prizzi's Honor; mob hit man Charley Partanna falls in love with his contract Irene Walker, who turns out to be a hit woman; filmed in 1985. In 1986 he pub. Prizzi's Family.

Terry Southern (1924-95)

In 1958 Alvarado, Tex.-born Terry Southern (1924-95) and Mason Hoffenberg pub. Candy in France under the alias Maxwell Kenton, a sexually explicit novel, which is suppressed by Charles de Gaulle; it is pub. in the U.S. in 1964, creating a sensation and raising the bar for obscenity prosecution. In 1959 he pub. The Magic Christian, about eccentric billionaire Guy Grand, who likes to stage elaborate practical jokes to prove that everyone has their price; the final adventure takes place on board SS Magic Christian; "It was an incredible influence on me" (Hunter S. Thompson). In 1970 he pub. Blue Movie; Boris "B" Adrian films "The Faces of Love" about the full range of human sexual experience; dedicated "To the great Stanley K." (Kubrick)

Robert Bloch (1917-94) 'Psycho' starring Janet Leigh, 1960 Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980)

In 1959 Milwaukee, Wisc.-raised Robert Albert Bloch (1917-94) pub. Psycho, based on an actual murder. On June 16, 1960 Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (his last B&W film) debuts, starring Anthony Perkins as bird-taxidermy-loving momma's boy Norman Bates (based on real-life serial killer Ed Gein), owner of the 12-room Bates Motel (15 mi. from Fairvale), where fleeing (Fri., Dec. 11) Phoenix, Ariz. thief Marie Samuels, er, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) (license plate #NFB-418) (who stole $40K from ' her real estate employer of 10 years) checks into room #1 and receives a bloody shower death at the hands of a mad slasher grandma in the classic Psycho Shower Scene; first Hollywood film to show a flushing toilet; Bernard Hermann's scary music uses only strings; "She's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds" (Norman); also stars John Gavin as Leigh's beau Sam, Vera Miles as her sister Lila, and Martin Balsam as detective Arbogast; theater owners are told not to allow seating after the movie begins; shot on a low budget in only 1 mo.; uses chocolate sauce for blood in the 45-sec. 78-frame 70-camera-setup shower scene, which occurs 30 min. into the film, and changes the horror movie genre forever; a double is used for Perkins to make it harder to guess who it is; "A boy's best friend is his mother"; when an angry father writes to Hitchcock that his daughter quit bathing after the 1954 French film "Les Diaboliques", and now won't shower, he replies "Send her to the dry cleaners"; NYT film critic Bosley Crowther calls the film "a blot on an otherwise honorable career."

Allen Drury (1918-98)

In 1959 Houston, Tex.-born Allen Stuart Drury (1918-98) pub. the Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller Advise and Consent, about the Senate fight to nominate a controversial secy. of state, launching the Washington, D.C. novel genre; filmed in 1962. In 1962 he pub. the sequel A Shade of Difference. In 1965 he pub. That Summer. In 1966 he pub. Capable of Honor. In 1967 he pub. A Very Strange Society. In 1968 he pub. Preserve and Protect. In 1970 he pub. The Throne of Saturn; the first manned mission to Mars and its dirty politics. In 1973 he pub. Come Nineveh, Come Tyre. In 1975 he pub. The Promise of Joy. In 1976 he pub. A God Against the Gods; "horse-faced" Pharaoh Akhenaten. In 1977 he pub. Anna Hastings; also Return to Thebes (Feb.); the Egyptian 18th Dynasty incl. Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and King Tutankhamen. In 1979 he pub. Mark Coffin, U.S.S.: A Novel of Capitol Hill. In Oct. 1980 he pub. Egypt: The Eternal Smile. In 1981 he pub. The Hill of Summer; new U.S. pres. Hamilton Delbacher vs. Soviet PM Yuri Serapin. In Aug. 1983 he pub. Decision; the U.S. Supreme Court takes on a murder case. In Sept. 1984 he pub. The Roads of Earth; alternate history of the fall of the Soviet Union. On Sept. 17, 1986 he pub. Pentagon; the Yankee response to Russian occupation of a South Pacific island to build a submarine base. In 1988 he pub. The Destiny Makers. In 1990 he pub. Toward What Bright Glory. In 1993 he pub. Into What Far Harbour? In 1995 he pub. A Thing of State. In 1998 he pub. Public Men (last novel).

Sue Kaufman (1926-77)

In 1959 Long Island, N.Y.-born Sue Kaufman (1926-77) pub. her first novel The Happy Summer Days. In 1962 she pub. Green Holly. In 1967 she pub. Diary of a Mad Housewife; Manhattan housewife Bettina Balser experiences feminist stirrings; too bad, it's not feminist enough for some feminists, causing her to utter the soundbyte that she's tired of "having my work held up against a yardstick, measuring whether I am or am not writing about women's issues." In 1969 she pub. The Headshrinker's Test. In 1970 she pub. Life with Prudence: A Chilling Tale. In 1974 she pub. Falling Bodies.

John Knowles (1926-2001)

In 1959 W. Va.-born John Knowles (1926-2001) pub. his first novel A Separate Peace, about fun and tragedy at Devon (really Phillips Exeter) Academy in Conn. in 1942-3 ; Gene Forrester and Phineas (Finny), Brinker Hadley, Elwin "Leper" Lepellier, the Sarcastic Summer of 1942, the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, blitzball et al. In 1980 he pub. the sequel Peace Breaks Out.

Walter M. Miller Jr. (1923-96)

In 1959 New Smyrna Beach, Fla.-born Walter Michael Miller Jr. (1923-96) pub. the 1-hit wonder A Canticle for Leibowitz; 600 years after the world nukes itself in the Flame Deluge, the Albertian Order of Leibowitz between Salt Lake City and El Paso tries to revive man's scientific knowledge, and succeeds in 3174, only to guess what all over again in 3781?; the author helped bomb the Monte Cassino Monastery in WWII, and this is his atonement? On Jan. 9, 1996 he commits suicide; his only novel "A Canticle for Leibowitz" ends with a Roman Catholic argument against suicide.

Philip Roth (1933-2018)

In 1959 Newark, N.J.-born Philip Milton Roth (1933-2018) pub. Goodbye, Columbus, a novella and five short stories, which wins the Nat. Book Award, giving him instant fame, making him "the golden boy of American literature" (N.Y. Times Book Review, Sept. 1959); filmed in 1969. In 1962 he pub. his first novel Letting Go. In 1967 he pub. When She Was Good, about an imperious housewife. In 1969 he pub. the bestseller Portnoy's Complaint; mama's boy Alexander Portnoy tells his story to his pshrink, about the Monkey, liver, and cored apples, i.e., how he can only escape his possessive Jewish mother's guilt trip by compulsive masturbation; pisses-off Jewish critics who accuse him of Jewish self-hate. In 1971 he pub. Our Gang (Starring Tricky and His Friends); pres. Trick E. Dixon, vice-pres. What's-His-Name, defense secy. Lard. In 1972 he pub. The Breast; academic David Kapesh wakes up to find that he's a 6-ft. mammary gland. In 1973 he pub. The Great American Novel; 99-y.-o. Smitty tells the story of the Ruppert Mundys minor league baseball team of the Patriot League, which collapses in 1943 after the owner sells their stadium to the govt. as an embarcation point for soldiers, becoming a parable about destructive Am. competition; a 1-legged catcher, 1-armed center fielder, 14-y.-o. 2nd baseman, and dwarf relief pitcher; a Commie plot to destroy the U.S. via baseball?; "Call me Smitty" (opening line). In 1974 he pub. My Life as a Man, an autobio. novel about writer Peter Tarnopol, who tells of the horrors of the first marriage of novelist Nathan Zuckerman. In 1977 he pub. The Professor of Desire; prof. David Kepesh dips into carnal adventure. In 1979 he pub. The Ghost Writer; writer Nathan Zuckerman has an affair with a younger woman whom he imagines to be Anne Frank, and faces charges from fellow Jews that his writing is anti-Semitic (like the author did?). In 1981 he pub. Zuckerman Unbound; sequel to "The Ghost Writer", about Nathan Zuckerman, who gets flack for pub. a controversial novel a la Portnoy's Complaint. In 1983 he pub. The Anatomy Lesson; 40-y.-o. Nathan Zuckerman comes down with a mysterious affliction. In 1985 he pub. Zuckerman Bound: A Trilogy and Epilogue, 1979-1985. In 1991 he pub. Patrimony. In 1993 he pub. Operation Shylock: A Confession; his 1988 breakdown novelized. In 1995 he pub. Sabbath's Theater; an aging man laments for his lost love. In 1997 he pub. American Pastoral (Pulitzer Prize); an aging athlete grieves over his 60s terrorist daughter. In 1998 he pub. I Married a Communist; radio star Ira "Iron Rinn" Ringold's story, as told by Nathan Zuckerman; Ira's anti-Semitic Jewish actress wife Eve Frame is really Roth's ex-wife Claire Bloom? In May 2000 he pub. The Human Stain; bestseller about 65-y.-o. Nathan Zuckerman observing retired classics prof. Coleman Silk in 1998 during the Monica Lewinsky affair and PC-think in the Academy; filmed in 2003. In May 2001 he pub. The Dying Animal. In 2004 he pub. The Plot Against America; the Nazis win WWII. In 2005 Roth becomes the 3rd living writer to have his collected works pub. by the Library of America. In 2006 he pub. Everyman; "Old age is not a battle, old age is a massacre." In 2007 he pub. Exit Ghost; Nathan Zuckerman.

'Walter Tevis (1928-84)

In 1959 San Francisco, Calif.-born Ky.-raised alcoholic Walter Stone Tevis (1928-84) pub. his first novel The Hustler, based on his short story "The Big Hustle", pub. in Collier's on Aug. 5, 1955; Fast Eddie Felson is based on real pool shark Fast Eddie Parker (1931-2001); filmed in 1961 starring Paul Newman. In 1963 he pub. The Man Who Fell to Earth, a semi-autobio. novel about super-intelligent humanoid alien Thomas Jerome Newton, who comes to Ky. to build a spaceship to import the remaining 300 pop. of nuclear-war-ridden Anthea, and falls for Betty Jo while becoming an alcohol addict before being messed-up by the CIA and FBI; filmed in 1976 by Nicolas Roeg; "He made the lonely journey, leaving behind a broken world and a promise to rescue his fellow-beings from the devastation their wars had wrought." In 1980 he pub. Mockingbird; multiple centenarian android NYU dean Spofforth hires Paul Bentley to decode the written titles in ancient silent films, but when he tries to teach Mary Lou to read, Spofforth sends him to prison. In 1981 he pub. Far from Home (short stories). In 1983 he pub. The Queen's Gambit; chess prodigy Beth harman struggles with tranquilizer and alcohol addiction and isolation while rising through the Grandmaster ranks. In 1983 he pub. The Steps of the Sun. In 1984 he pub. The Color of Money; sequel to "The Hustler" (1959); filmed in 1986 starring Paul Newman.

Tom Wolfe (1930-2018) Norman Mailer (1923-2007) Terry Southern (1924-95) Gay Talese (1932-) Robert Christgau (1942-) George Plimpton (1927-2003) Truman Capote (1924-84) Joan Didion (1934-) Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) P.J. O'Rourke (1947-)

In the 1960s the your-own-personal-Jesus New Journalism movement in the U.S. (ends 1980?), led by Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe Jr. (1930-2018), Norman Mailer (1923-2007), Terry Southern (1924-95), Gay Talese (1932-), Robert Christgau (1942-), George Plimpton (1927-2003), Truman Capote (1924-84), Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005), Joan Didion (1934-), P.J. O'Rourke (1947-) et al. brings a literary slant to journalism, blurring the line with fiction, telling stories via scenes, with conversational speech, first person POV, and everyday details, causing it to end up relegated to mags. instead of newspapers, esp. "The New Yorker" and "Esquire", where Terry Southern kicks it off with Twirlin' At Ole Miss in Feb. 1963; Wolfe predicts it will "wipe out the novel as literature's main event".

Poul Anderson (1926-2001)

In 1960 Bristol, Penn.born Poul William Anderson (1926-2001) pub. The High Crusade; a spaceship lands in 1345 England. In 1963 he pub. Is There Life on Other Worlds? In 1964 he pub. Trader to the Stars. In 1967 he pub. Tau Zero; a spaceship is caught in an uncontrollable acceleration. In 1974 he pub. Fire Time. In 1980 he pub. The Boat of a Million Years; people who do not die of old age but can be killed.

John Barth (1930-) Martin Seymour-Smith (1928-98)

In 1960 Cambridge, Md.-born John Simmons Barth (1930-) pub. The Sot-Weed Factor; 17th cent. poet and tobacco planter Ebenezer Cooke, new poet laureate of Md. meets old bugger Isaac Newton, travels to Md. and meets John Smith and Pocahantas while trying to preserve his virginity; based on a real book pub. in 1708; father Andrew Cooke, twin sister Anna Cooke, tutor Henry Burlingame, manservant Bertrand Burton, poets Ben Oliver, Dick Merriwether, and Tom Trent, Joan Toast and John McEvoy - TLW's favorite novel besides Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", or is he just jerking you around because it's a historical novel? In 1966 he pub. Giles Goat-Boy, about George Giles, the son of a computer who was reared by a herd of goats becomes a ritual wandering hero in a world that has become a gigantic academic campus; becomes a classic of metafiction. In 1967 he pub. The Literature of Exhaustion in Atlantic Monthly, about how conventional lit. is "used up", and what the world needs is a postmodernist writer like him who "confronts an intellectual dead end and employs it against itself to accomplish new human work". In 1968 he pub. the short story collection Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts, incl. "The Indian Uprising" (Comanches conquer a modern city), "The President" (a 4-ft. tall U.S. pres.). In 1976 Martin Seymour-Smith (1928-98) pub. Who's Who in 20th Century Literature, filled with cool eccentric summaries of famous writers, e.g., "only of socio-anthropological interest; as a writer, he is almost worthless" (Sinclair Lewis); "ingenious, clever, admirable - and a crushing bore" (John Barth); "evil and cruel... no more than a nasty little boy" (Yukio Mishima). In 1979 he pub. Letters; a new take on the epistolary novel, recapitulating the history of the novel and the author's lit. career, with a final letter addressed to the reader. In 1982 he pub. Sabbatical: A Romance; novelist and CIA agent Fenwick Scott Key Turner goes on a sea journey. In 1991 he pub. The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor.

Nathaniel Benchley (1915-81)

In 1960 Newton, Mass.-born Nathaniel Benchley (1915-81) (father of Peter Benchley) pub. Sail a Crooked Ship (filmed in 1961), and Sinbad the Sailor, a hit children's book. In 1961 he pub. The Off-Islanders; filmed in 1966 by Norman Jewison as "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming", starring Alan Arkin. In 1964 he pub. Catch a Falling Spy; A Winter's Tale. In 1965 he pub. The Visitors. In 1966 he pub. The Monument. In 1968 he pub. Welcome to Xanadu; 16-y.-o. Doris Mae Winter is kidnapped by psycho Leonard and held in a cabin in the mountains, and comes to like him. In 1969 he pub. The Todd Dossier. In 1971 he pub. Lassiter's Folly. In 1976 he pub. A Necessary End: A Novel of World War II. In 1979 he pub. Portrait of a Scoundrel. In 1980 he pub. Sweet Anarchy. In June 1981 he pub. All Over Again. In 1982 Speakeasy is pub. posth.

Wendell Berry (1934-)

In Apr. 1960 Henry County, Ky.-born Wendell Berry (1934-) pub. his first novel Nathan Coulter, about the citizens of Port William, Ky. In 1967 he pub. A Place on Earth. In 1974 he pub. The Memory of Old Jack. In 1986 he pub. The Wild Birds: Six Stories of the Port William Membership, about rural Ky. in the 1930s-70s. In Aug. 1990 he pub. Remembering, about a journalist on a single day in 1976 San Fran. In 1991 he pub. Fidelity: Five Stories. In 1993 he pub. Watch with Me, and Six Other Stories of the Yet-Remembered Ptolemy Proudfoot and His Wife, Miss Minnie, Nee Quinch. In 1997 he pub. A World Lost; In 2000 he pub. Jayber Crow. In 2001 he pub. Sonata at Payne Hollow. In 2004 he pub. Hannah Coulter; In 2006 he pub. Andy Catlett: Early Travels.

William Peter Blatty (1928-2017) 'The Exorcist', 1973

In 1960 New York City-born William Peter Blatty (1928-2017) (child of Lebanese immigrant parents) pub. his first novel Which Way to Mecca, Jack? In 1963 he pub. John Goldfarb, Please Come Home; U-2 pilot John "Wrong Way" Goldfarb crashes in the Arab kingdom of Fawzia, and is forced to coach a football team that plays Notre Dame; filmed in 1965. On Mar. 24, 1965 J. Lee Thompson's John Goldfarb, Please Come Home debuts, based on the 1963 William Peter Blatty novel, starring Shirley MacLaine as mag. reporter Jenny Ericson, Peter Ustinov as Arab king Fawz, and Richard Crenna as John "Wrong-Way" Goldfarb, whose U-2 is shot down and is forced to coach a football team to play Notre Dame; too bad, bad sport Notre Dame sues them, holding them back for 3 mo., after which it flops, almost driving 20th Cent. Fox into bankruptcy. In 1966 he pub. Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane. In 1971 he pub. The Exorcist, which becomes the #1 novel of the 1970s, selling 12M copies; a 12-y.-o. possessed girl, based on an actual exorcism in 1949; filmed in 1973; the mother was based on his friend Shirley MacLaine; written near Lake Tahoe in apt. #666? On Dec. 26, 1973 William Friedkin's The Exorcist (Warner Bros.) debuts, based on the 1971 William Peter Blatty novel, starring Linda Blair as devil-possessed, green-pea-soup-puking girl Regan Teresa MacNeil, and is given an R-rating, becoming the Jesuit's Deep Throat, causing mass hysteria in some theaters as it draws on all 2K years of Catholic superstition, incl. the ancient god Pazuzu (voiced by Mercedes McCambridge, with the face of Eileen Dietz), aided by special effects by Dick Smith, and spooky music by Mike Oldfield; #1 film of 1973, grossing $232.6M domestic and $402.5M worldwide by 2010, passing "The Godfather" standing still; Ellen Burstyn plays actress mommy Chris MacNeil, Jason Miller plays Father Damien Karras (whose body double tumbles down the Exorcist Steps at the end of M St. in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.), Max von Sydow (who once played Jesus) plays Father Lankester Merrin; an avg. of 3 men and 2 women faint during each showing;six people die during the making of the film, causing rumors that it's cursed; "The power of Christ compels you." In 1978 he pub. The Ninth Configuration, a rework of the 1966 novel "Twinkle, Twinkle, 'Killer' Kane!"; filmed in 1980. In 1983 he pub. Legion, sequel to "The Exorcist". In 1996 he pub. Demons Five, Exorcists Nothing: A Fable.

E.L. Doctorow (1931-)

In 1960 New York City-born E.L. (Edgar Lawrence) Doctorow (1931-) pub. his first novel Welcome to Hard Times, about Bad Man from Bodie, who comes to Hard Times, S.D.; an attempt to prove that the promise of a better life on the Am. Western frontier is hollow? In 1967 he pub. The Songs of Billy Bathgate. In 1971 he pub. The Book of Daniel, in which a man attempts to discover the truth about his parents Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, executed in 1953. In 1975 he pub. Ragtime, about America during the 1906 Evelyn Nesbit-Harry K. Thaw scandal; mixes fictional chars. with real-life figures Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, J. Pierpont Morgan, and Henry Ford. In 1978 he pub. Drinks Before Dinner; a man holds a group hostage to harangue them on the collapse of modern civilization. In 1980 he pub. Loon Lake; a young man in the Great Depression leaves Paterson, N.J. for a lake in the Adirondacks, where he meets the bad side of capitalism and gets rich by going corrupt. In 1985 he pub. the autobio. novel World's Fair, about growing up in the Bronx. In 1989 he pub. Billy Bathgate; a boy's adventures with a New York City gang. In 1994 he pub. The Waterworks; mystery set in 1871 New York City. In 2000 he pub. City of God. In 2003 he pub. Reporting the Universe. In 2005 he pub. The March; Sherman's 1864 March to the Sea; how the northward exodus of slaves after the war begins makes the Emancipation Proclamation a rhetorical default; sells 100K copies by the end of the year. On Jan. 14, 2008 he pub. Wakefield in The New Yorker; also Homer & Langley; the Collyer brothers, rich Harlem packrats, who die in their trash-filled mansion in 1947.

James Leo Herlihy (1927-93)

In 1960 Detroit, Mich.-born gay playwright-actor James Leo Herlihy (1927-93) pub. his first novel All Fall Down. In 1965 he pub. Midnight Cowboy; filmed in 1969.

Harper Lee (1926-2016)

In 1960 Monroeville, Ala.-born Harper Lee (Nelle Harper) (1926-) pub. her first novel To Kill a Mockingbird (40M copies), which wins a Pulitzer Prize, becoming the first woman winner since Ellen Glasgow in 1942; 6-y.-o. Scout (based on herself) and her brother Jem (Jeremy), Atticus Finch (based on her father Amasa and her mother's maiden name Finch), 7-y.-o. tow-headed Dill Harris (based on her childhood friend Truman Capote), Boo Radley in 1930s Maycomb, Ala.; "All I want to be is the Jane Austen of South Alabama" (Lee); in 1975 her publisher announces she's working on her 2nd novel, which is pub. in ?; in July 2015 she pub. "Go Set a Watchman", the first draft of "To Kill a Mockingbird'; "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow" (first sentence); filmed in 1962 starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

John Updike (1932-2009)

In 1960 Readington, Penn.-born John Hoyer Updike (1932-2009) pub. Rabbit, Run, about 26-y.-o. ex-high school basketball player kitchen gadget salesman Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom (taken from Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit) and his wife Janice of Mount Judge (near Brewer), Penn. and their dysfunctional family life; "What happens when a young American family man goes on the road the people left behind get hurt" (Updike); "If you have the guts to be yourself... other people'll pay your price"; spawns sequels "Rabbit Redux" (1971), "Rabbit is Rich" (1981), "Rabbit At Rest" (1990), "Rabbit Remembered" (2001).

Irving Wallace (1916-90)

In 1960 Chicago, Ill.-born Irving Wallace (Wallechinsky) (1916-90) pub. The Chapman Report. In 1962 he pub. The Prize, about the lives of a group of Nobel Prize winners. In 1964 he pub. The Man; Sen. Douglass Dilman becomes the first black U.S. pres. after a 14th cent. German cathedral falls on everybody higher up the chain; The Three Sirens. In 1966 he pub. The Sunday Gentlemen. In 1967 he pub. The Plot; nuclear disarmament talks in Paris, and the roles of former U.S. pres. Emmett, journalist Jay, his ex-babe Hazel, and young British bird Medora. On Sept. 29, 1969 he pub. The Seven Minutes; an atty. risks his career to defend a bawdy book. In 1972 he pub. The Word; Steve Randall gets religion. In 1974 he pub. The Fan Club. In 1974 he pub. The Fan Club. In 1976 he pub. The R Document. In 1979 he pub. The Pigeon Project; the elixir of life is invented. In 1980 he pub. The Second Lady; the Soviets plot to swap a clone for the U.S. First Lady. In 1982 he pub. The Miracle; the Vatican announces that the Virgin Mary will return to Lourdes. In 1983 he pub. The Seventh Secret; Oxford don Sir Harrison Ashcroft proves that Hitler didn't die in his bunker and left a child. On Mar. 1, 1987 he pub. The Celestial Bed, about sex therapist Arnold Freeberg. In 1988 he pub. The Golden Room. In 1989 he pub. The Guest of Honor; U.S. pres. Matt Underwood hooks up with Noy Sang, wife of assassinated Lampang pres. Prem Sang.

Joseph Heller (1923-99) 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller (1923-99), 1961

On Nov. 10, 1961 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Time mag. copywriter Joseph Heller (1923-99) pub. Catch-22, which he wrote in his spare time; it was a flop until humorist S.J. Perelman commended it in a nat. pub.; USAF B-25 flyer Yossarian and Maj. Major of the Fighting 256th ("two to the fighting eighth power") on the Mediterranean island of Pianosa W of Italy in WWII; "There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle"; its satire of military bureaucracy feeds the anti-Vietnam war culture; filmed in 1970 by Mike Nichols. In 1974 he pub. Something Happened; miserable Am. businessman Bob Slocum; took him 12 years to write. In 1979 he pub. Good as Gold; Bruce; "History was a trash bag of random coincidences torn open in a wind. Surely, Watt with his steam engine, Faraday with his electric motor, and Edison with his incandescent light bulb did not have it as their goal to contribute to a fuel shortage some day that would place their countries at the mercy of Arab oil." In 1984 he pub. God Knows, a zany sex-drenched retelling of his story by King David, who disses Michelangelo. In 2000 his last novel Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man is posth. pub., about old fart writer Eugene Pota, who tries to write a final novel.

John A. Williams (1925-94)

In 1960 Jackson, Miss.-born John Alfred Williams (1925-94) pub. his first novel The Angry Ones. In 1967 he pub. The Man Who Cried I Am, first in his Armageddon Trilogy (1967-72), about black writer Max Reddick, who discovers a plot by Western nations to prevent the unification of black Africa, followed by "King Alfred", a plan for genocide. In 1969 he pub. Sons of Darkness, Sons of Light. In 1972 he pub. Captain Blackman; black Capt. Abraham Blackman is wounded in Vietnam and goes into a coma where he hallucinates about the role of the black soldier through time. In 1975 he pub. Mothersill and the Foxes. In 1982 he pub. A Midnight Clear; filmed in 1992.

Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-99)

In 1961 Albany, N.Y.-born lesbian novelist Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley (1930-99) pub. The Door Through Space; "Beware of the 4-D demons" - good first title for a lez? In 1962 she pub. I Am a Lesbian under the alias Lee Chapman; "Her kind of love was different - but was it wrong?" In 1966 she helps found the Society for Creative Anachronism to recreate and relive the Middle Ages and Renaissance - without the Black Plague? In 1982 she pub. The Mists of Avalon, a female-centered Arthurian novel with lezzies all over the forest.

Emma Lathen

In 1961 Harvard grads. Mary Jane Latsis (1927-97) and Martha Henissart (1929-) team up to crank out crime novels under the alias Emma Lathen, starting with Banking on Death, featuring Wall St. banker Putnam Thatcher; they later branch out under the alias R.B. Dominic with sleuth congressman Benton Safford.

Larry McMurtry (1936-)

In 1961 Archer City, Tex.-born Larry McMurtry (1936-) pub. his first novel Horseman, Pass By, about Homer Bannon, his stepson Hud, and grandson Lonnie, becoming the basis of the 1963 film "Hud"; first in his Thalia Trilogy (1961-6). In 1963 he pub. Leaving Cheyenne, about Molly, Gideon, Johnny and Eddie; basis of the 1974 film "Lovin' Molly". In 1966 he pub. The Last Picture Show; #3 in his Thalia Trilogy (1961-6); high school seniors Sonny Craword and Duane Jackson in Thalia, Tex. in 1951-2 experiment with sex; filmed in 1971. In 1975 he pub.Terms of Endearment; overbearing widowed mother Aurora, and her daughter Emma with terminal cancer; filmed in 1983; in 1992 he pub. the sequel The Evening Star, about Aurora Greenway dealing with old age. In 1982 he pub. Cadillac Jack, about big Texas liar Jack McGriff. In 1985 he pub. Lonesome Dove (Pulitzer Prize), about retired Texas Rangers Capt. Augustus "Gus" McCrae and Capt. Woodrow F. Call, who run the Hat Creek Cattle Co. and Livery Emporium in the Tex. border town of Lonesome Dove and decide to drive a herd of cattle to begin the first cattle ranch N of the Yellowstone River and visit Gus' sweetheart Clara on the Platte River near Ogallala Neb.; based on the cattle drive of Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving, where Loving is attacked by Indians and dies of blood poisoning; turned into a TV miniseries in 1989 starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones; followed by "Streets of Laredo", "Dead Man's Walk", and "Comanche Moon".

Richard Yates (1926-92) 'Revolutionary Road' by Richard Yates (1926-92), 1961

On Dec. 31, 1961 Yonkers, N.Y.-born Richard Yates (1926-92) pub. his first novel Revolutionary Road; the plan of Conn. suburbanites Frank and April Wheeler of the Revolutionary Hill Estates to move to Paris is ruined by conformist Frank, after which April dies trying to give herself an abortion; "One of the few novels I know that could be called flawless" (James Atlas); "The Great Gatsby of our time" (Kurt Vonnegut Jr.); "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one, that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy"; too bad, his books never sell well, and he is only rediscovered after a 1999 essay in the Boston Review by Stewart O'Nan; after his daughter Monica dates Larry David and scares him, he becomes the model for Elaine's father Lawrence Tierney in "Seinfeld".

James Clavell (1924-94)

In 1962 Australian-born naturalized American James (Charles Edmund Dumaresq) Clavell (1924-94) pub. his first bestseller King Rat, about his experiences as a British POW in Changi; Peter Marlowe is himself. In 1966 he pub. Tai-Pan: A Novel of Hong Kong, about the rise of Jardine-Matheson Ltd. in Hong Kong as told by Scotsman Dirk Struan. In 1975 he pub. Shogun; John Blackthorne of the Dutch ship Erasmus shipwrecks in the Japans and ends up working as a samurai for Lord Toranaga; based on William Adams (1564-1620) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). On Sept. 15-19, 1980 Shogun, based on the 1975 James Clavell novel airs on NBC-TV, starring Richard Chamberlain as Dutch pilot John Blackthorne of the Dutch ship Erasmus, which shipwrecks in the Japans, causing him to end up working as a samurai for Lord Toranaga (Toshiro Mifune). In 1981 he pub. Noble House, about 1963 Hong Kong. In 1986 he pub. Whirlwind; set in Iran in 1979, about Scottish heli co. owner Andrew Gallavan; also Thrump-O-Moto; illustrated by George Sharp; a wizard in training in Japan cures lame Australian girl Patricia. In 1993 he pub. Gai-Jin, set in Japan in 1862. In 1994 he pub. Escape: The Love Story from Whirlwind; adapted from "Whirlwind" (1986).

Bruce Jay Friedman (1930-)

In 1962 Bronx, N.Y.-born Bruce Jay Friedman (1930-) pub. his first novel Stern, a comic novel about a young Am. Jew who relocates to the suburbs and gets hit with bigotry and voracious caterpillars; favorite novel of John Kennedy Toole. In 1964 he pub. A Mother's Kisses; 17-y.-o. Joseph and his mother Meg, who accompanies him to college. In 1974 he pub. About Harry Towns. On June 3, 1987 he pub. Tokyo Woes. In 1989 he pub. The Current Climate. In 1996 he pub. A Father's Kisses.

Ken Kesey (1935-2001) Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters

In 1962 La Junta, Colo.-born Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey (1935-2001) ("I was too young to be a beatnik and too old to be a hippie") pub. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; written at La Honda, his forest home 50 mi. S of San Francisco, where he and his Merry Pranksters serve Kool-Aid spiked with LSD; "One flew east, one flew west..."; Randle Patrick McMurphy vs. Nurse Rachet; filmed in 1975 starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher. In 1964 he pub. Sometimes a Great Notion.

Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007)

In 1962 New York City-born Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) pub. A Wrinkle in Time, a children's sci-fi classic about 14-y.-o. Meg Murry, with 10-y.-o. twin brothers Sandy and Dennys, 5-y.-o. supergenius brother Charles Wallace, a beautiful scientist mother, and mysterious scientist father, who went missing after working on the Tesseract.

Robert Henry Rimmer (1917-2001)

In 1962 Boston, Mass.-born Robert Henry Rimmer (1917-2001) pub. his first novel That Girl from Boston - why does that name make me think of eating shit? In 1964 he pub. The Rebellion of Yale Marratt; yummy bigamy. In 1966 he pub. The Harrad Experiment, a bestseller (3M copies) about brainy students Stanley Kolasukas and Sheila Grove, Harry Schacht and Beth Hillyer, Jack Dawes and Valerie Latrobe, who start out rooming in pairs in college then enter a group marriage; launches the polyamory movement. In 1967 he pub. The Zolotov Affair; scientist Horaze Zolotov and sex kitten Marge Wenworth team up to give the world sexenomics. In 1974 he pub. The Premar Experiments; sequel to "The Harrad Experiment" (1966), pushing the limits to the max of sexual freedom. Meanwhile he stays married to wife Erma for 60 years without fooling around or getting into bigamy or group marriage?

Charles Bukowski (1920-94)

In 1963 German-born Henry Charles Bukowski (1920-94), "the Poet Laureate of Skid Row" pub. It Catches My Heart In Its Hands. In 1965 he pub. Crucifix in a Deathhand. In 1971 he pub. his first novel Post Office, about boozing Henry Chinaski, who spends his older years delivering mail and gambling at the track while pursuing alcohol, women, and writing; "Dedicated to nobody". In 1975 he pub. Factotum; aspiring writer Henry Chinaski travels aimlessly through the WWII-era U.S.; first of a trilogy ("Post Office", "Women"). In 1982 he pub. Ham on Rye; Henry Chinaski comes of age in LA during the Great Depression.

Joyce Carol Oates (1938-)

In 1963 Lockport, N.Y.-born Joyce Carol Oates (1938-) (father shoots himself, grandfather is killed in a tavern brawl, a grad student obsessed with her kills himself and a rabbi in a synagogue - guess what she likes to write about?) pub. her debut short story collection By the North Gate. In 1964 she pub. her first novel With Shuddering Fall, about the disastrous love affair of Shar and Karen. In 1967 she pub. A Garden of Earthly Delights, about migrant farm laborers Carleton, Clara, and Swan. In 1969 she pub. Them, about a blue-collar Detroit family from the Great Depression through the Detroit race riots. On Aug. 11, 1978 she pub. Son of the Morning; Nathan Vickery starts out like Christ then falls like Lucifer. In 1980 she pub. Bellefleur, about a family of psychos in the Adirondacks. In 1981 she pub. Angel of Light; govt. minister Maurice Halleck, a direct descendent of martyr John Brownis is accused of wrongdoing then dies in a car accident, causing his children Kirsten and Owen to try to clear his name and avenge his murder. In 1982 she pub. The Bloodsmoor Romance; "The other side of Little Women"; an eccentric inventor with five daughters, and dandy Mark Twain. In 1984 she pub. Mysteries of Winterthurn; 19th cent. Erasmus Kilgarven commits incest with his daughter Georgina, who resorts to poetry. In 1989 she pub. American Appetites. In 1994 she pub. What I Lived For; Jerome "Corky" Corcoran. In 1995 she pub. Zombie. In 1999 she pub. Broke Heart Blues. In 2000 she pub. Blonde, about the inner life of Norma Jean Baker AKA Marilyn Monroe (1926-62).

Sylvia Plath (1932-63)

On Feb. 11, 1963 after separating from her poet hubby Ted Hughes, Boston, Mass.-born poet Sylvia Plath (1932-63) commits suicide, leaving the semi-autobio. novel The Bell Jar under the alias Victoria Lucas; the 50th anniv. ed. features a controversial sexist cover.

Thomas Pynchon (1937-) in 1957

In Mar. 1963 Glen Cove, N.J.-born Thomas Pynchon (1937-) ("creator of epic modernism" - Joel Stein) pub. his first novel V, about the quest across 19th and 20th cent. history for an elusive figure who is either a woman, a construction, or a force; the New York City dept. of sanitation vs. alligators? On Feb. 28, 1973 he pub. Gravity's Rainbow, a postmodern hit about V-2 rocket production in the last days of World War II, involving a quest for the Schwarzgerat (Ger. "Black Device) that is to be installed in rocket #000000; Tyrone Slothrop dives into a jazz club toilet bowl assisted by Malcolm X?; passed over for the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for a passage about coprophilia. In 1997 he pub. Mason and Dixon, from the POV of Rev. Wicks Cherrycoke about the fun 1760s, complete with a talking dog.

Peter O'Donnell (1920-) Modesty Blaise 'Pulp Fiction', 1994

On May 13, 1963 the comic strip Modesty Blaise debuts (until July 7, 2002), created by English writer Peter O'Donnell (1920-) and English artist Jim Holdaway (1927-70), becoming a classic of adventure comics with the sexy heroine proving an exceptional babe of many talents with a criminal past; her platonic trusty sidekick is Willie Garven; starting out as a refugee in Greece in 1945, she is named Modesty by Hungarian scholar Lob, and adds Blaise after Merlin the Magician's tutor, and likes to fight with a kongo (yawara stick); John Travolta reads a Modesty Blaise novel on the toilet in the 1994 film "Pulp Fiction". On Oct. 14, 1994 Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction debuts, making writer-dir. Tarentino and his humor-laced violent ensemble material a mainstream hit, rescuscitating the career of John Travolta, who plays pulp fiction-reading L.A. gangster Vincent Vega; Samuel L. Jackson is great as Vega's partner, vicious-but-philosophical Ezekiel-misquoting black ghetto hit man Jules Winnfield, who decides to go straight; Bruce Willis plays boxer-on-the-run Butch Coolidge, Maria de Medeiros his potbelly-hating babe Fabienne; Eric Stoltz plays coke dealer Lance, and Rosanna Arquette his nose-ringed babe Jody; Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer play restaurant robbers Pumpkin and Honey Bunny; Ving Rhames plays black gangleader Marsellus Wallace, and Uma Thurman his white wife Mia, who never talk directly to each other; Harvey Keitel plays fast-driving fixer Winston "the Wolf" Wolfe; the code that unlocks the briefcase is 666?; #9 movie of 1994 ($108M); "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France? Royale with cheese" (Travolta); "You won't know the facts until you've seen the fiction" (ad); Jackson's killing speech: "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee"; not really what Ezekiel 25:17 says, he got it from "Bodyguard Kiba" (1973) and "Karate Kiba" (1976); the novel that constipated heroin addict Vincent Vega is reading is Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell (1965); Vega is killed with his own Mac-10 AKA Le Big Mac.

Susan Sontag (1933-2004)

In 1963 S Ariz.-born Susan Sontag (1933-2004) (who calls the white race "the cancer of human history" during the 1960s Vietnam War days) pub. her first novel The Benefactor, a roman a clef about French writers Antonin Artaud and Jean Genet. In 1964 she pub. Notes on 'Camp', an essay popularizing the "so bad it's good" attitude about pop culture, establishing her as a major new writer in the Big Apple. In 1967 she pub. Death Kit; 33-y.-o. Dalton "Diddy" Harron the Dull works for a microscope manufacturer, botches a suicide, kills railwayman Incardona, and tells fellow passenger Blind Hester all about it while making love to her on the train. In 1977 she pub. On Photography, a big hit, pissing-off photographers by calling photography corrosive and manipulative and not just impartial note-taking because their "acquisitive relation to the world" promotes "emotional detachment". In 2000 she pub. In America, about 19th cent. Polish actress Helena Modjeska.

Richard Brautigan (1935-84)

In 1964 Tacoma, Wash.-born poet-novelist Richard Brautigan (1935-84) pub. his first novel A Confederate General from Big Sur. In 1967 he pub. the bestseller Trout Fishing in America; Shorty searches for the perfect trout stream; becomes a counterculture classic. In 1968 he pub. In Watermelon Sugar. In 1969 he pub. The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster. In 1970 he pub. Rommel Drives Deep into Egypt; "An amalgam of Zen Buddhism, William Carlos Williams, and the stoned comic strips of R. Crumb." In 1974 he pub. The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western. In 1975 he pub. Willard and His Bowling Trophies: A Perverse Mystery; a 4-ft. papier mache bird. In 1976 he pub. Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel. In 1977 he pub. Dreaming of Babylon: A Private Eye Novel 1942. In 1980 he pub. The Tokyo-Montana Express. In 1982 he pub. So the Wind Won't Blow It All Away. On Sept. 14, 1984 he commits suicide in Bolinas, Calif., leaving the note "Messy, isn't it": leaves the unpub. novel "The God of the Martians"; "All of us have a place in history. Mine is clouds."

Martin Caidin (1927-97)

In 1964 New York City-born aviation expert Martin Caidin (1927-97) pub. Marooned; a manned spacecraft is stranded in Earth orbit; filmed in 1969. In 1968 he pub. The God Machine; cybernetic technician Steve Rand discovers that top-secret Project 79 h has created an AI that's trying to take over the world. In 1972 he pub. the bestseller Cyborg, followed by "Cyborg II: Operation Nuke" (1973), "Cyborg III: High Crystal" (1974), and "Cyborg IV" (1976); basis of the 1974 TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man".

Bel Kaufman (1911-2014) 'Up the Down Staircase' by Bel Kaufman (1911-2014), 1964

In 1964 Berlin, Germany-born Jewish novelist Bella "Bel" Kaufman (1911-2014) pub. the NYT bestseller (64 weeks) Up the Down Staircase, a semi-autobio. novel about novice idealistic English teacher Sylvia Barrett, who picks the wrong school, a delinquent-ridden New York inner city school, and almost decides to resign to find a smaller private school, until she discovers that she has touched her students' lives; filmed in 1967 starring Sandy Dennis; "The book that got teaching right" (The New Yorker).

Jeremy Larner (1937-)

In 1964 Eugene McCarthy's speechwriter Jeremy Larner (1937-) pub. his first novel Drive, He Said, title taken from the poem "I Know a Man" by Robert Creeley; about college basketball star Hector Bloom, whose rev. roommate burns the campus down; wins the Delta Prize for first novels, which was unclaimed for several years and has grown to $10K; "Nothing like this could happen in America" (Playboy); filmed in 1971, becoming Jack Nicholson's dir. debut.

Hubert Selby Jr. (1928-2004) 'Last Exit to Brooklyn' by Hubert Selby Jr. (1928-2004), 1964

In 1964 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Hubert "Cubby" Selby Jr. (1928-2004) pub. his first work Last Exit to Brooklyn with Evergreen Press, wonderful stories about homosexuality, drug addiction, brutality, gang rape et al.; Allen Ginsberg utters the soundbyte that it will "explode like a rusty hellish bombshell over America and still be eagerly read in a hundred years"; prosecuted for obscenity in Britain and banned in Italy, making it more popular?; filmed in 1989 by Uli Edel. In 1971 he pub. The Room, about a criminal in solitary confinement; "The most disturbing book ever written" (Selby). In 1976 he pub. The Demon; Harry White falls from corporate success to ruin. In 1978 he pub. Requiem for a Dream; young hoods Harry and Tyrone fantasize about scoring a pound of heroin and getting rich; filmed in 2000 starring Ellen Burstyn.

Sol Yurick (1925-2013)

In 1964 Manhattan, N.Y.-born Solomon "Sol" Yurick (1925-2013) pub. The Warriors, which retells the story of the 401 B.C. March of the Ten Thousand in Xenophon's "Anabasis" with rival New York City gangs of the 1950s; filmed in 1979 by Walter Hill. In 1966 he pub. Fertig; middle-class New York Jew goes ape after a hospital staff kills his son, hunting and murdering seven of them, then getting a taste of the corrupt city elite in court, incl. Judge Mabel Crossland, his atty. Royboy, and town boss Irving Hockstaff, going on to become the next "An American Tragedy". In 1972 he pub. Someone Just Like You. In 1976 he pub. An Island Death. In 1981 he pub. Richard A. In June 1985 he pub. Behold Metatron: The Recording Angel; "The old philosopher's stone could convert base metals into gold. Now humans, real estate, social relations are converted into electronic signs carried in an electronic plasma. The dream of magical control has never been exorcised. Perhaps, after all, modern capitalism is a great factory for the production of angels." In 1999 he pub. Confession.

James Lee Burke (1936-)

In 1965 James Lee Burke (1936-) pub. his first novel Half of Paradise. In 1970 he pub. To the Bright and Shining Sun. In 1971 he pub. Lay Down My Sword and Shield, about Hack Holland. In 1982 he pub. Two for Texas. In 1986 he pub. The Lost Get-Back Boogie after it is rejected 111x by publishers over 9 years, getting a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize. In 1987 he pub. The Neon Rain; first in a series about alcoholic ethics-violating New Orleans policeman Dave Robicheaux. In 1988 he pub. Heaven's Prisoners. In 1989 he pub. Black Cherry Blues. In 1990 he pub. A Morning for Flamingoes. In 1992 he pub. A Stained White Radiance. In 1993 he pub. In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead. In 1994 he pub. Dixie City Jam. In 1995 he pub. Burning Angel. In 1996 he pub. Cadillac Jukebox. In 1997 he pub. Cimarron Rose; first in a series about Texas atty. Billy Bob Holland. In 1998 he pub. Sunset Limited. In 1999 he pub. Heartwood; Billy Bob Holland #2. In 2000 he pub. Purple Cane Road. In 2001 he pub. Bitterroot; Billy Bob Holland #3. In 2002 he pub. Jolie Blon's Bounce; also White Doves at Morning. In 2003 he pub. Last Car to Elysian Fields. In 2004 he pub. In the Moon of the Red Ponies; Billy Bob Holland #4. In 2005 he pub. Crusader's Cross; Dave Robicheaux and his half-brother Jimmie in 1958. In 2006 he pub. Pegasus Descending; Dave Robicheaux. In 2007 he pub. The Tin Roof Blowdown; New Orleans detective Dave Robicheaux during Hurricane Katrina. In 2008 he pub. Swan Peak. In 2009 he pub. In the Valley of Ancient Rain Gods.

Jerzy Kosinski (1933-91)

In 1965 Lodz, Poland-born Jerzy Kosinski (Jozef Lewinkopf) (1933-91) pub. The Painted Bird, about the Holocaust. In 1968 he pub. a sequel Steps, in which the unnamed boy becomes an adult unable to conform to accepted social norms. In 1971 he pub. Being There, in which simple-minded gardener Chance assumes the persona of anybody he sees on TV, ending up being taken as a sage and put into the White House by the corporations; filmed in 1979 starring Peter Sellers. In 1973 he pub. The Devil Tree, a business satire starring steel tycoon Jonathan Whalen. In 1975 he pub. Cockpit, in which a former govt. agent creates his own identities. In 1983 he pub. Pinball, about Patrick Domostroy.

Cormac McCarthy (1933-)

In 1965 Providence, R.I.-born Cormac (Charles) McCarthy (1933-) pub. his first novel The Orchard Keeper In 1968 he pub. Outer Dark. In 1973 he pub. Child of God, about an E Tenn. backwoodsman who is a necrophiliac murderer. In 1979 he pub. Suttree, a semi-autobio. novel about Cornelius Suttreee in 1951 Knoxville, Tenn. In 1985 he pub. Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West; the Kid vs. the scalp-hunting Glanton Gang in the Mexican borderlands in 1849-50; Judge Holden; based on Samuel Chamberlain's "My Confession"; his masterpiece? In May 1992 he pub. All the Pretty Horses, the first of the Border Trilogy ("The Crossing", "Cities of the Plain"); bestseller; 16-y.-o. cowboy John Grady Cole moves from Tex. to Mexico with best friend Lacey Rawlins, meet Jimmy Blevins, and Alejandra, whom Cole hooks up with. In June 1994 he pub. The Crossing, 2nd in the Border Trilogy; teenie cowboy Billy Parham and his younger brother Boyd hunt a pregnant female wolf. On May 12, 1998 he pub. Cities of the Plain, last in the Border Trilogy; John Grady Cole meets Billy Parham in 1952, and Cole tries to rescue ho Magdalene in Juarez by taking on Eduardo. In 2005 he pub. No Country for Old Men; title comes from the poem Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats; Vietnam vet Llewelyn Moss discovers a cache of $2M drug money in big bad Tex. near the Mexican border, causing its owners to send killer Anton Chigurh (the next Hannibal Lecter?); filmed in 2007. In 2006 he pub. his 10th novel The Road, which wins a Pulitzer Prize; the Veteran, the Wife, and the Son try to survive in the apocalyptic remains of cannibal-filled Appalachia; his take on "The Road Warrior"?

Donn Pearce (1928-)

In 1965 Philly-born ex-con Donald Mill "Donn" Pearce (1928-) pub. his first novel Cool Hand Luke, which is filmed in 1967 starring Paul Newman and George Kennedy, and makes him a star. He follows with Pier Head Jump (1972), Dying in the Sun (1974), and Nobody Comes Back (2005).

Judith Rossner (1935-2005) 'Looking for Mr. Goodbar' by Judith Rossner (1935-2005), 1975

In 1965 New York City-born Judith Perelman Rossner (1935-2005) pub. her first novel To the Precipice. In 1967 she pub. To the Precipice. In 1969 she pub. Nine Months in the Life of an Old Maid. In 1972 she pub. Any Minute I Can Split; a pshrink has more problems than his patient. In 1975 she pub. Looking for Mr. Goodbar, inspired by the murder of Roseann Quinn (1944-73), who was killed by a man she took home from a singles bar; the dark side of the 1970s sexual lib movement; filmed in 1978; In 1977 she pub. Attachments. In 1980 she pub. Emmeline; 14-y.-o Emmeline Mosher is sent from her Maine farm to work in a cotton mill in 1839 Mass. In 1983 she pub. August; a New York woman psychologist and her woman patient. In 1990 she pub. His Little Women. In 1994 she pub. Olivia. In 1997 she pub. Perfidia (last novel).

Roger Zelazny (1937-95)

In 1965 Euclid, Ohio-born Roger Joseph Zelazny (1937-95) pub. his first novel This Immortal (...And Call Me Conrad), Conrad Nomikos escorts a blue-skinned Vegan around what's left of Earth, and ends up protecting him from madass humans. In 1966 he pub. The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) (The Ides of Octember), about neuroparticipant therapist Charles Render. In 1967 he pub. Lord of Light; the Urath spaceship Star of India lands on a strange planet, and the occupants deal with the hostile indigenous races with their atman transfer technology that gives them godlike powers, instituting a Hindu caste system, causing rebel crewman Sam, the last Accelerationist to start a revolt against the gods; "His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god. He preferred to drop the Maha- and the -atman, however, and called himself Sam. He never claimed to be a god, but then he never claimed not to be a god." (opening lines) In 1969 he pub. Isle of the Dead, named after the Arnold Boecklin paintings, about Francis Sandow, last surviving human born in the 20th cent., and Damnation Alley, about Hell Tanner, who is promised a pardon for driving through you know what from LA to Boston in a post-apocalyptic U.S.; filmed in 1977. In 1970 he pub. Nine Princes in Amber, first of the 10-part Chronicles of Amber (1970-91). In 1971 he pub. Jack of Shadows, about a world that is tidally locked, where science rules on the dayside and magic on the nightside. In 1976 he pub. Doorways in the Sand, about how Earth joins a galactic confederation by trading the Mona Lisa and the British Crown Jewels for the Star-Stone and the Rhennius Machine. In 1980 he pub. Changeling, about Mor the wizard taking on evil Det Morson; in 1981 he pub. the sequel Madwand. In 1981 he pub. The Changing Land, followed by Dilvish, the Damned (1982), about a mixed-race elf-human, who is turned into a statue by evil sorcerer Jelerak.

On Mar. 21, 1966 the U.S. Supreme Court by 6-3 in Memoirs v. Massachusetts gives a V to Fanny Hill over New England's puritanical Comstockian prudes, ruling that material with redeeming social value can't be censored, effectively taking erotic books from under the counter to the shelves of mainstream bookstores; meanwhile the same day it hands down its 5-4 ruling in the case of Ginzburg et al. v. U.S., denying justice to publisher Ralph Ginzburg by upholding the obscenity of his mag. Eros along with his fine and prison sentence even though it isn't obscene under their other ruling, because Ginzburg used "salacious" methods to market it, with dissenting justice Potter Stewart remarking "Moose hockey", er, "Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime. Long ago those who wrote our First Amendment chartered a different course. They believed a society can be truly strong only when it is truly free" - besides I read the stuff myself?

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-)

In 1966 Berkeley, Calif.-born Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (1929-) (daughter of anthropologist Alfred Louis Kroeber), who settles in Portland, Ore. pub. her first novel Planet of Exile; also Rocannon's World (Hainish). In 1968 she pub. A Wizard of Earthsea; #1 in her popular Earthsea fantasy series (ends 1990); goatherd Ged rises to become a great wizard. In 1969 she pub. The Left Hand of Darkness; frozen planet Winter populated by hermaphrodites; Genly Ai - if you wanna have a Bowflex body, you gotta own a Bowflex, click it or ticket? In 1971 she pub. The Lathe of Heaven; title from mistranslated writings of Chuang Tzu; Portland draftsman George Orr in nightmare 2002 learns that his dreams turn into reality, and tries to improve the world, making it worse. In 1974 she pub. The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia; a physicist tries to reconcile cultural conflicts when exploring a new planet. In 1988 she pub. Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight.

Cynthia Ozick (1928-)

In 1966 New York City-born Cynthia Ozick (1928-) pub. her first novel Trust; too bad, her attempt at becoming the next Henry James flops, causing her to turn to short stories. In 1970 she pub. The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories. In 1976 she pub. Bloodshed and Three Novellas. In 1982 she pub. Levitation: Five Fictions; a Jewish-Christian married couple and their problems. In 1983 she pub. The Cannibal Galaxy; Jewish child Joseph Brill survives WWII in a French convent then becomes a failed U.S. astronomer. On Feb. 12, 1988 she pub. The Messiah of Stockholm; Swedish book reviewer Lars Andeming, son of Polish writer Bruno Schulz uncovers a mysterious ms. If you can't do, teach? In 1993 she pub. What Henry James Knew. In 1997 she pub. The Puttermesser Papers.

Charles Portis (1933-)

In 1966 El Dorado, Ark.-born Charles McColl Portis (1933-) pub. his first novel Norwood, about ex-Marine Norwood Pratt of Ralph, Tex. In 1968 he pub. True Grit; 14-y.-o. Mattie Ross searches for a man with you know what to find her daddy's killer in the Old West; filmed in 1969 starring John Wayne. In 1979 he pub. The Dog of the South; Ray Midge; "My wife Norma had run off with Guy Dupree and I was waiting around for the credit card billings to come in so I could see where they had gone." In 1985 he pub. Masters of Atlantis. In 1991 he pub. Gringos.

Gilbert Sorrentino (1929-2006) Christopher Sorrentino (1963-)

In 1966 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Gilbert Sorrentino (1929-2006) pub. his first novel The Sky Changes. In 1968 he pub. The Perfect Fiction. In 1970 he pub. Steelwork. In 1971 he pub. Corrosive Sublimate. In 1973 he pub. Splendide-Hotel; invented by Arthur Rimbaud, "built in the chaos of ice and of the polar night". In 1974 he pub. Flawless Play Restored: The Masque of Fungo. In 1976 he pub. A Dozen Oranges. In 1977 he pub. White Sail; also Sulpiciae Elegidia: Elegiacs of Sulpicia. In 1978 he pub. The Orangery. In 1979 he pub. Mulligan Stew; his masterpiece?; avant-garde novelist Anthony tries to write a "new wave murder mystery". In 1980 he pub. Aberrations of Starlight; four people at a boardinghouse in 1939 N.J. In 1981 he pub. Crystal Vision. In 1983 he pub. Blue Pastoral; Serge "Blue" Gavotte quits his job, mounts a piano on a pushcart and heads off with his wife and kid in a search across America for the "Perfect Musical Phrase". In 1985 he pub. Odd Number; #1 in the Pack of Lies Trilogy ("Rose Theatre", "Misterioso"). In 1986 he pub. A Beehive Arranged on Humane Principles. In 1987 he pub. Rose Theatre; #2 in the Pack of Lies Trilogy. In 1989 he pub. Misterioso; #3 in the Pack of Lies Trilogy. In 1991 he pub. Under the Shadow. In 1999 he pub. Gold Fools. In 2002 he pub. Little Casino. In 1995 his son Christopher Sorrentino (1963-) pub. his first novel Sound on Sound. In 2005 he pub. Trance; In 2006 he pub. A Strange Commonplace. In 2007 he pub. American Tempura; art by Derek Boshier (1937-).

Norman Spinrad (1940-)

In 1966 New York City-born Norman Richard Spinrad (1940-) pub. his first novel The Solarians, about the war between humans and Duglaari (Doogs). In 1969 he pub. Bug Jack Barron, about Jack Barron, host of a TV phone-in-show with an audience of 100M, who fights billionaire Benedict Howards, dir. of the Foundation for Human Immortality, who is trying to get a govt. monopoly on freezing people; pisses-off a British MP, who criticizes the British Arts Council for funding it; "The saddest day of your life isn't when you decide to sell out. The saddest day of your life is when you decide to sell out and nobody wants to buy." In 1970 he pub. The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde (short stories). In 1972 he pub. The Iron Dream, about an alternate universe where Adolf Hitler moves to the U.S. and becomes a sci-fi writer, author of the hit "Lord of the Swastika". On Aug. 1, 1978 he pub. Riding the Torch, about the Probability Engine and multiple universes. In 1979 he pub. A World Between, about planet Pacifica and its Pink and Blue War. In 1980 he pub. Songs from the Stars, about a post-apocalyptic agrarian society; also The Mind Game; Jack Weller, dir. of the children's TV show "Monkey Business" and his wife Anne get involved with the Transformationalist movement, founded by sci-fi writer John B. Steinhardt. In 1983 he pub. The Void Captain's Tale, about the Second Starfaring Age. In 1985 he pub. Child of Fortune, about Moussa, who joins some space hippies under the name Wendy for her wanderjahr. In 2003 he pub. The Druid King, about Caesar's war against Gallic chieftain Vercingetorix in 52 B.C.E.

'Coffee, Tea or Me?' by Donald Bain (1935-), 1967

In 1967 Donald Bain (1935-), later known for the "Murder, She Wrote" series anon. pub. Coffee, Tea, or Me?, "The uninhibited memoirs of two airline stewardesses"; the alleged memoirs of lusty young stewardesses Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones, whom he cooks up while working in public relations for Am. Airlines, after which the airline hires two stewardesses to pose as the authors for book tours and TV appearances; spawns the sequels "The Coffee Tea or me Girls' Round-the-World Diary" (1970), "The Coffee Tea or Me Girls Lay It on the Line" (1972), and "The Coffee Tea or Me Girls Get Away From It All" (1974).

Piers Anthony (1934-)

In 1967 Oxford, England-born Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (1934-) (who emigrated to the U.S. at age 4) pub. his first novel Chthon, first in the Aton series. In 1969 he pub. Macroscope; the 21st cent. invention that analyzes info. carried on macrons, giving humanity unlimited info. about the Universe, endangering the very essence of people's minds; Hasan; the days of Sinbad. In 1971 he pub. Prostho Plus; Earth dentist Dr. Dillingham is captured by aliens and forced to work for them. In Sept. 1977 he pub. A Spell for Chameleon; first in his "Xanth" series. In 1980 he pub. Split Infinity; first in the Apprentice Adept series about the dual worlds of Proton and Phaze. In 1982 he pub. Ogre, Ogre. In 1986 he pub. Ghost. In 1993 he pub. Killobyte. He goes on to pub. a book for every letter in the alphabet.

Donald Barthelme (1931-89) Frederick Barthelme (1943-)

In 1967 Philly-born Donald Barthelme (1931-89) pub. his first novel Snow White, the fairy tale turned absurd, incl. a liberated Snow White, horny dwarfs, and a prince obsessed with hot baths; "She is a tall dark beauty containing a great many beauty spots: one above the breast, one above the belly, one above the knee, one above the ankle, one above the buttock, one on the back of the neck. All of these are on the left side, more or less in a row, as you go up and down. The hair is black as ebony, the skin white as snow." In 1975 he pub. The Dead Father; 19 children haul their father's corpse on a fantastic journey. In 1971 his brother Frederick Barthelme (1943-) pub. his first novel War and War. In 1984 he pub. Second Marriage; a love between a man, his wife, and his ex-wife. In 1985 he pub. Tracer. In 1988 he pub. Two Against One. In 1989 he pub. Natural Selection. In 1993 he pub. The Brothers. In 1995 he pub. Painted Desert. In 1997 he pub. Bob the Gambler.

Paula Fox (1923-)

In 1967 Paula Fox (1923-) (grandmother of Courtney Love) pub. her first novel Poor George; Manhattan private schoolteacher George Mecklin decides to tutor a teenie he catches breaking into his house. In 1970 she pub. Desperate Characters; childless Brooklyn couple Sophie and Otto Brentwood. In 1972 she pub. The Western Coast; Annie Ginfala in Hollyweird on the eve of WWII. In 1973 she pub. The Slave Dancer; a boy is kidnapped by a slave ship in the 1840s; becomes a kiddie lit. classic. In 1984 she pub. A Servant's Tale; Luise de la Cueva from the Caribbean island of Malagita. In 1990 she pub. The God of Nightmares. In 2008 she pub. A Portrait of Ivan.

Herbert Gold (1924-)

In 1967 Cleveland, Ohio-born Herbert Gold (1924-) pub. Fathers: A Novel in the Form of a Memoir; a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant father and son deal with life in non-Jewish Cleveland, Ohio; "This is an imaginary history. And real. And twice imaginary." In Apr. 1980 he pub. He/She; a woman doesn't love her husband anymore and faces it. In 1994 he pub. Bohemia. In 2001 he pub. Haiti - Best Nightmare on Earth.

S.E. Hinton (1948-)

In 1967 Tulsa, Okla.-born h.s. student S.E. (Susan Eloise) Hinton (1950-) pub. her first novel The Outsiders, a bestseller (14M copies), based on rival gangs at Will Rogers H.S. in Tulsa, Okla.; narrated by Ponyboy Curtis, about the war between the working class Greasers (incl. brothers Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darrel "Darry" Curtis, Johnny Cade, Dallas "Dally" Winston, Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews) and the wealthy privileged Socs (Soshes) (Cherry Valance, Marcia, Bob Sheldon, Randy Anderson); she writes most it at age 16, and it becomes a junior high and senior high school library hit, revolutionizing young adult fiction with realistic portrayals; too bad, she then suffers a 3-year writer's block; "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home..." (first and last sentence); filmed in 1983. In 1971 she pub. That Was Then, This Is Now; Mark and Byron deal with street fighting and girls. In 1975 she pub. Rumble Fish; named after the Siamese fighting fish; filmed in 1983. In 1979 she pub. Tex; "Bambi by another character". In 1988 she pub. Taming the Star Runner.

William Francis Nolan (1928-) George Clayton Johnson (1929-)

In 1967 Kansas City, Mo.-born William Francis Nolan (1928-) and Cheyenne, Wyo.-born George Clayton Johnson (1929-) pub. Logan's Run; first of a trilogy (1977, 1980); filmed in 1976; "The seeds of the Little War were planted in a restless summer during the mid-1960s, with sit-ins and student demonstrations as youth tested its strength. By the early 1970s over 75 percent of the people living on Earth were under 21 years of age. The population continued to climb - and with it the youth percentage. In the 1980s the figure was 79.7 percent. In the 1990s, 82.4 percent. In the year 2000 - critical mass"; by 2116 people are not allowed to live past the age of 21 (Lastday), and must report to a Sleepshop; those Runners who try to escape to Sanctuary are hunted down by the Deep Sleep Operatives (Sandmen) (incl. antihero Logan 3), who use the Gun and Omnite on them. In 1977 they pub. Logan's World. In 1980 they pub. Logan's Search.

Chaim Potok (1929-2002)

In 1967 New York City-born Chaim Potok (1929-2002) (trained as a rabbi) pub. The Chosen, about Brooklyn Jewish prodigy Danny Saunders, son of Orthodox Rabbi Reb Saunders, who wants to become a psychologist not a rabbi, and is helped by Reuven Malter, son of a Zionist agitator; filmed in 1981 starring Robby Benson and Rod Steiger. In 1969 he pub. a sequel The Promise.

Robert Stone (1937-)

In 1967 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Robert Stone (1937-) pub. his first novel A Hall of Mirrors, about New Orleans at Mardi Gras in 1962; filmed as "WUSA" in 1970. In 1974 he pub. Dog Soldiers; a freelance reporter smuggles heroin out of Vietnam, but it goes violently awry; filmed in 1978. In 1980 he pub. A Flag for Sunrise; the CIA commits atrocities in a Central Am. country to suppress a Marxist rev. In 1981 he pub. A Flag for Sunrise; ex-CIA operative in a Central Am. country is amused by Yankees who think they can tell another country how to modernize. In 1986 he pub. Children of Light; drugged-out Gordon Walker and his babe Les Verger in Mexico. In 1992 he pub. Outerbridge Reach. In 1998 he pub. Damascus Gate; a plot to rebuild the unrebuildable Temple of Big J in Jerusalem. In 2003 he pub. Bay of Souls. In 2007 he pub. the autobio. Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties, about his days with Ken Kesey; "We were all logrolling down the rapids of the nineteen sixties."

Richard Bradford (1932-2002

In 1968 Chicago, Ill.-born Richard Bradford (1932-2002) pub. Red Sky at Morning, about coming of age during WWII. In 1973 he pub. So Far from Heaven; a big city exec flees to a New Mexico cattle ranch.

John Brunner (1934-95)

In 1968 after 17 years of publishing forgettable stuff, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England-born John Kilian Houston Brunner (1934-95) pub. Stand on Zanzibar, about the year 2010, when the entire world's pop. of 7B could fit onto Zanzibar rather than the Isle of Wight, describing it as way too crowded compared to what it came out, which doesn't stop it from being a hit. In 1969 he pub. The Jagged Orbit, about the U.S. in racially polarized 2014, when the Gottschalk mafia that supplies weapons to both sides splits into two factions. In 1969 he also pub. Timescoop; Harold Freitas brings duplicates of his ancestors in a time machine with him to 2066, watching them squirm at the morality. In 1972 he pub. The Sheep Look Up, about a U.S. environmental disaster. In 1975 he pub. The Shockwave Rider, coining the computer network term "worm". In 1980 he pub. The Infinitive of Go, about Posting technology, which teleports inanimate objects. In 1983 he pub. The Crucible of Time, about an alien species trying to survive a cloud of interstellar debris. In 1988 he pub. Children of the Thunder, a swipe on the world of Margaret Thatcher. In 1993 he pub. his last novel Muddle Earth, about the 24th cent., when Earth becomes a tourist attraction.

Fred Chappell (1936-)

In 1968 Canton, N.C.-born Fred Davis Chappell (1936-) pub. his first novel Dagon, which transforms the Cthulhu story into a Southern Gothic about Peter Leland; awarded best foreign book by the French Academy; he later turns to poetry and becomes the poet laureate of N.C. in 1997-2002.

Mary Higgins Clark (1927-)

In 1968 Bronx, N.Y.-born Mary Higgins Clark (Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins) (1927-) pub. her first novel Aspire to the Heavens. In 1975 she pub. Where Are the Children?; after 20 years of trying, and receiving a $3K advance, she is an instant hit, beginning a series of 20+ bestselling suspense novels, selling 80M+ copies by 2007 in the U.S. alone, with royalties of $150M+.

Harry Crews (1935-)

In 1968 Alma, Ga.-born Harry Crews (1935-) pub. his first novel The Gospel Singer. In 1969 he pub. Naked in Garden Hills. In 1970 he pub. This Thing Don't Lead to Heaven. In 1971 he pub. Karate is a Thing of the Spirit. In 1972 he pub. CAR. In 1973 he pub. The Hawk is Dying. In 1974 he pub. The Gypsy's Curse. In 1976 he pub. A Feast of Snakes, set in Mystic, Ga., home of the annual Rattlesnake Roundup and Joe Lon Mackey, who goes beserk; "She felt the snake between her breasts, felt him there, and loved him there, coiled, the deep tumescent S held rigid, ready to strike." In 1978 he pub. A Childhood: The Biography of a Place. In 1979 he pub. Blood and Grits. In 1981 he pub. The Enthusiast. In 1982 he pub. Florida Frenzy. In 1987 he pub. All We Need of Hell; lawyer Duffy Deeter. In 1988 he pub. The Knockout Artist. In 1990 he pub. Body. In 1991 he pub. Madonna at Ringside. In 1992 he pub. Scar Lover; his masterpiece? In 1995 he pub. The Mulching of America. In 1998 he pub. Celebration; Where Does One Go When There's No Place Left to Go?.

Michael Crichton (1942-2008)

In 1968 Chicago, Ill.-born 6'7" physician John Michael Crichton (1942-2008) (star basketball player for Roslyn H.S. in Chicago in 1960) pub. his first novel A Case of Need under the alias Jeffrey Hudson. In 1969 he pub. The Andromeda Strain, the first novel under his own name; Dr. Jeremy Stone fights a deadly microorganism from outer space; good sales help him pay for Harvard Medical School; "This book recounts the five-day history of a major American scientific crisis" (opening line). In 1972 he pub. The Terminal Man. In 1980 he pub. Congo, about cerebral gorillas in the Lost City of Zinj; filmed in 1995. In 1990 he pub. Jurassic Park, a bestseller about an amusement park filled with reconstituted dinosaurs; filmed in 1993; in 1995 he pub. the sequel The Lost World. In 1992 he pub. Rising Sun; why Americans distrust the Japanese. In 1999 he pub. Historyscope; great title?; a silly time travel plot, but a cool recreation of the 14th cent. C.E.; "Professor Johnston often said that if you didn't know history, you didn't know anything. You were a leaf that didn't know it was part of a tree."

Frederick Exley (1929-92)

In 1968 Watertown, N.Y.-born Frederick Exley (1929-1992) pub. his first novel A Fan's Notes, in which a man lives vicariously through his love for the New York Giants and their star player Frank Gifford; rejected by 14 publishers, then wins the Faulkner Award for best novel of 1968.

Richard Hooker (1924-97)

In 1968 Richard Hooker (H. Richard Hornberger) (1924-97) pub. MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, about the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital Unit 4077 in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War; rejected by 21 pubs. before William Morrow in New York City takes a chance on it; filmed in 1970; becomes a CBS-TV series in 1972-83. In 1972 he pub. M*A*S*H Goes to Maine. In 1977 he pub. M*A*S*H Mania.

John Irving (1942-)

In 1968 Exter, N.H.-born John Winslow Irving (1942-) (known for writing the last line of his novels first?) pub. his first novel Setting Free the Bears; two univ. students liberate the Vienna Zoo. On Nov. 30, 1972 he pub. The Water-Method Man; a perpetual grad student with a birth defect in his urinary tract goes for his 2nd marriage. On Aug. 11, 1974 he pub. The 158-Pound Marriage, about a menage a quatre in a New England univ. town. In 1978 he pub. the bestseller (3M copies) The World According to Garp, about nurse Jenny Fields, who rapes mental vegetable T. Sgt. Garp and names her son T.S. Garp, then pub. the bestselling autobio. "A Sexual Suspect", and is murdered by a mad reader; filmed in 1982 starring Robin Williams as T.S. Garp, Glenn Close as Jenny Fields, and John Lithgow as transsexual ex-football player Roberta Muldoon. In 1981 he pub. The Hotel New Hampshire, about hotel proprietors Win and Mary Berry of Dairy, N.Y. and their five children John (narrator), Frank (gay), Franny, Lilly, and Egg; filmed in 1974 starring Beau Bridges. In 1985 he pub. The Cider House Rules, about orphan Homer Wells and his medical boss Dr. Wilbur Larch; filmed in 1999 by Lasse Hallstrom. On Mar. 1, 1987 he pub. The Celestial Bed, about sex therapist Arnold Freeberg. In 1989 he pub. A Prayer for Owen Meany, based on "The Tin Drum" by Gunther Grass, about best friends Owen Meany and John Wheelwright, and Oskar Matzerath in N.H. in the 1950s-60s; Owen hits a foul ball at a little league game which kills John's mother Tabitha Wheelright.

Marjorie Kellogg (1922-2005)

In 1968 Santa Barbara, Calif.-born 1-hit wonder Marjorie Kellogg (1922-2005) pub. her first novel Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon, about disabled Junie Moon, Warren, and Arthur leaving the hospital and setting up housekeeping together; filmed in 1970 starring Liza Minelli.

Dean Koontz (1945-)

In 1968 Everett, Penn.-born Dean Ray Koontz (1945-) (AKA Deanna Dwyer, Aaron Wolfe, Brian Coffey, Leigh Nichols, Owen West, Richard Paige, Leonard Chris, Anthony North et al.) pub. his first novel Star Quest. In 1972 he pub. Chase. In 1973 he pub. Demon Seed; filmed in 1977; rewritten and repub. in 1997; Proteus the rogue computer. In 1977 he pub. The Face of Fear; pub. under alias Brian Coffey. In 1980 he pub. Whispers; Hilary Thomas is chased by a psycho; his first big success, launching his bestselling career as the West Coast Stephen King, based on plots with a strong woman who takes charge and fights supernatural bad guys. In 1982 he pub. The House of Thunder; pub. under alias Leigh Nichols. In 1983 he pub. Phantoms. In 1984 he pub. Darkfall. In 1986 he pub. Strangers. In 1987 he pub. Watchers; In 1988 he pub. Lightning. In 1989 he pub. Midnight.

Anne McCaffrey (1926-)

In 1968 Radcliffe-educated Anne Inez McCaffrey (1926-) pub. Dragonflight, first of the Dragonriders of Pern series.

Thomas McGuane (1939-)

In 1968 Wyandotte, Mich.-born Thomas McGuane (1939-) pub. his first novel The Sporting Club, about an elite Mich. outdoor club.

N. Scott Momaday (1934-)

In 1968 Lawton, Okla.-born Navarre Scott Momaday (1934-) (Kiowa father, Cherokee mother) pub. his first novel House Made of Dawn (Pulitzer Prize), about a young Native Am. unable to live in white or Indian society, making him the symbol for a new gen. of Native Am. writers incl. Louise Erdrich (1954-), Leslie Marmon Silko (1948-), and James Welch (1940-2003), who launch the Native Am. Renaissance.

Joanna Russ (1937-2011) 'The Female Man' by Joanna Russ (1937-2011), 1975

In 1968 Bronx, N.Y.-born lesbian Joanna Russ (1937-2011) pub. her first novel Picnic on Paradise, about female sci-fi adventure heroine Alyx. In 1972 she pub. What Can a Heroine Do? Or Why Women Can't Write. In 1975 she pub. The Female Man, about four women in parallel worlds, which becomes an underground feminist sci-fi classic. In 1976 she pub. The Adventures of Alyx (short stories). In 1983 she pub. How to Suppress Women's Writing.

John Thomas Sladek (1937-2000)

In 1968 Waverly, Iowa-born John Thomas Sladek (1937-2000) pub. his first novel The Reproductive System (Mechasm), about machines that clone themselves. In 1970 he pub. The Muller-Fokker Effect; Bob Shairp volunteers to be turned into a computer. In 1980 he pub. Roderick; autobio. of a robot. In 1983 he pub. Roderick at Random: The Further Education of a Young Machine; also Tik-Tok; a robot with "Asimov circuits". In 1989 he pub. Bugs.

Lee Smith (1944-)

In 1968 Grundy, Va.-born Lee Smith (1944-) (the next Carson McCullers?) pub. her first novel The Day the Dog Bushes Bloomed, about 9-y.-o. Susan Toby's summer. In 1971 she pub. Something in the Wind. In 1973 she pub. Fancy Strut. In 1980 she pub. Black Mountain Breakdown; Crystal Spanger of Black Mountain, Appalachia. In 1983 she pub. Oral History; the Southern-Am. Cantrell family. In 1985 she pub. Family Linen. In 1988 she pub. Fair and Tender Ladies. In 1992 she pub. The Devil's Dream. In 1995 she pub. Saving Grace. In 2002 she pub. The Last Girls. In 2006 she pub. On Agate Hill.

Ronald Sukenick (1932-2004)

In 1968 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Suck, er, Ronald Sukenick (1932-2004) pub. his first novel Up, about a working class zero who grows up in Brooklyn. In 1973 he pub. Out. In 1975 he pub. 98.6; some 60s types retreat from "the Dynasty of a Million Lies" and create a commune out West; filmed in 1983 as "Deadly Drifter". In 1978 he pub. Long Talking, Bad Conditions, Blues. In 1986 he pub. Blown Away; aspiring actress Cathy June and bottom-feeding dir. Drackenstein. In 1999 he pub. Mosaic Man.

Jimmy Breslin (1930-)

In 1969 Queens, N.Y.-born New York City reporter Jimmy Breslin (1930-) (known for pub. an article in 1963 about the man who dug JFK's grave) pub. his first novel The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, about inept New York City underworld figures incl. Joey Gallo (1929-72), who is played in the 1971 film by his personal friend Jerry Orbach. In 1970 he is beaten up at the Suite restaurant (owned by Lucchese crime family assoc. Henry Hill) by mobster James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke (1931-96) after gets pissed-off at an article he wrote on family member Paul "Paulie" Vario (1914-88). In 1973 he pub. World Without End; also Amen. In 1987 he pub. Table Money; also He Got Hungry and Forgot His Manners.

Marge Piercy (1936-)

In 1969 Detroit, Mich.-born feminist activist poet Marge Piercy (1936-) pub. her first novel Going Down Fast. In 1970 she pub. Dance the Eagle to Sleep. In 1976 she pub. Woman on the Edge of Time; 37-y.-o. Bellevue Hospital psychiatric ward patient Consuelo "Connie" Ramos time-travels to 2137 with Luciente to a world where women don't reproduce anymore, property doesn't exist, and the concept of gender is moot; the first cyberpunk novel? In 1978 she pub. The High Cost of Living; Leslie, Honor, and Bernie. In 1979 she pub. Vida; a 1960s underground activist sees the anti-war movement rise and fall. In 1982 she pub. Braided Lives; a female writer in Detroit struggles while her friends cop-out to traditional roles. On Mar. 12, 1985 she pub. Fly Away Home; Boston cookbook Daria Walker gets divorced and rebuilds her life. On Apr. 12, 1988 she pub. Gone to Soldiers; six women and four men during WWII. In 1989 she pub. Summer People. In 1991 she pub. Body of Glass (He, She and It); a future environmentally-ruined world with megacities and a futuristic Internet. In 1994 she pub. The Longings of Women. In 1996 she pub. City of Darkness, City of Light. In 1998 she and Ira Wood pub. Storm Tide.

Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007)

In 1969 Chicago, Ill.-born Sidney Sheldon (1917-2007), writer of hit TV shows "The Patty Duke Show" and "I Dream of Jeannie", pub. his first novel The Naked Face. In 1974 he pub. The Other Side of Midnight. In 1975 he pub. A Stranger in the Mirror. In 1977 he pub. Bloodline. In 1980 he pub. Rage of Angels, about New York Mafia atty. Jennifer Parker, Michael Morreti, and Adam Warner. In 1982 he pub. Master of the Game, a bestseller about the MacGregor/Blackwell family; made into a 1984 TV miniseries; Kate Blackwell, Jamie MacGregor, and Jamie MacGregor Jr. In 1987 he pub. Windmills of the Gods. In 1988 he pub. The Sands of Time. In 1990 he pub. Memories of Midnight. In 1991 he pub. The Doomsday Conspiracy. In 1992 he pub. The Stars Shine Down. In 1997 he is honored by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated author in the world. He sold 300M+ copies.

John Kennedy Toole (1937-69)

On Mar. 26, 1969 New Orleans, La.-born John Kennedy Toole (b. 1937) commits suicide near New Orleans, La. after nobody will pub. his novel A Confederacy of Dunces; when his mother pesters Walker Percy into getting it pub. in 1980 it is awarded a posth. Pulitzer Prize.

Larry Woiwode (1941-)

In 1969 Carrington, N.D.-born Larry Alfred Woiwode (1941-) pub. his first novel What I'm Going to Do, I Think, about two newlyweds and an unwanted pregnancy. In 1992 he pub. the sequel Indian Affairs. In 1975 he pub. Beyond the Bedroom Wall: A Family Album, about his boyhood in N.D.

Richard Bach (1936-) 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach, 1970

In 1970 Oak Park, Ill.-born Richard David Bach (1936-) pub. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a 10K-word story about a fast-flying seagull who flies for love of flying rather than just to catch food; bestseller for 1972-3, selling 1M copies in 1972, then passing "Gone With the Wind" with 3M copies sold; rejected by 18 pubs. before Macmillan takes a chance. In 1974 he pub. A Gift of Wings. In 1976 he pub. There's No Such Place As Far Away. In 1977 he pub. Illusions: the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah; the author encounters a modern messiah who decides to quit. In 1984 he pub. The Bridge Across Forever: A Lovestory; based on his relationship with Leslie Parrish. On Oct. 2, 1989 he pub. One; "A tiny change today brings us to a dramatically different tomorrow. There are grand rewards for those who pick the high hard roads, but those rewards are hidden by years. Every choice is made in the uncaring blind, no guarantees form the world around us." In 1995 he pub. Running from Safety: An Adventure of the Spirit.

Pat Conroy (1945-2016)

In 1970 Atlanta, Ga.-born Donald Patrick "Pat" Conroy (Gael. "wise man") (1945-2016) pub. his first novel The Boo. In 1972 he pub. The Water is Wide. In 1976 he pub. The Great Santini; Marine fighter pilot Col. Bull Meecham rules his family like a fighter squadron, with an iron fist, ruining his wife and children; filmed in 1979. In 1980 he pub. The Lords of Discipline; a brutal Southern military academy, as narrated by Tom Stechschulte. In 1986 he pub. The Prince of Tides; football coach-teacher Tom Winslow, er, Winglo, his twin sister (famous New York poet) Savannah, and their dysfunctional S.C. family secrets, unlocked by Barbra, er, Dr. Susan Lowenstein; filmed in 1991.

James Dickey (1923-97) 'Deliverance' by James Dickey (1923-97), 1970

In 1970 Atlanta, Ga.-born James Dickey (1923-97) pub. his first novel Deliverance, abou Atlanta businessmen Lewis Medlock, Ed Gentry, Drew Ballinger, and Bobby Trippe,who decide to skip golfing and take a trip down the Cahulawassee River in N Ga. and get messed up by lonely horny homo inbred hillbillies, then conspire to get away with homicide after they get back to civilization because a dam is scheduled to flood the area and they couldn't get a fair trial from more hillbillies; filmed in 1972. In 1979 he pub. The Strength of Fields; delivered at the inauguration of Pres. Carter.

Gail Godwin (1936-)

In 1970 Birmingham, Ala.-born Gail Kathleen Godwin (1936-) pub. her first novel The Perfectionists, about a "perfect but unhappy marriage". In 1972 she pub. Glass People. In 1974 she pub. The Odd Woman; a female lit. prof. hung up on the 19th cent. has an affair with a married man. In 1976 she pub. Dream Children; Mrs. McNair. In 1978 she pub. Violet Clay; an artist wrestles with her vocation. In 1982 she pub. A Mother and Two Daughters. In 1984 she pub. The Finishing School; 40-y.-o. actress Justin Stikes reminisces about age 14 and Ursula DeVane.

Tony Hillerman (1925-2008)

In 1970 Sacred Heart, Okla.-born Tony Hillerman (1925-2008) pub. his first novel The Blessing Way, about Navajo detective Joe Leaphorn, spawning a series. In 1980 he pub. People of Darkness, about Navajo Sgt. Jim Chee, who investigates a Native Am. peyote cult, spawning another series. In 1990 he pub. Coyote Waits; Jim Chee #10.

Larry Niven (1938-) Jerry Pournelle (1933-)

In 1970 Los Angeles, Calif.-born Laurence van Cott "Larry" Niven (1938-) pub. Ringworld; first in a super-popular hard sci-fi series; 200-y.-o. boosterspice-taking Louis Gridley Wu bar-hops the world westward to celebrate his birthday, then travels to Known Space, where he meets Pierson's Puppeteer Nessus (3 legs, 2 heads, 0 arms), and joins him, Kzin, and Teela Brown on a mission to Ringworld in order to win the superfast ship Long Shot. In 1974 he and Shreveport, La.-born Jerry Eugene Pournelle (1933-) pub. The Mote in God's Eye; the Second Empire of Man in 3016 enjoys the faster-than-light Alderson Drive to discover the Moties, who have a little ole 1M-y.-o. problem. In 1976 they pub. Inferno. On June 30, 1978 they pub. Lucifer's Hammer; a giant comet hits Earth, causing a new Ice Age. In 1980 Niven pub. The Ringworld Engineers; sequel to "Ringworld" (1970); written to explain why it's not unstable. In 1982 they pub. Oath of Fealty; huge Todos Santos complex in Los Angeles; popularizes the phrase "think of it as evolution in action". In 1985 they pub. the bestseller Footfall; "Probably the first novel of alien invasion ever written"; the invasion of the Fithp, man-sized quadrupedal elephant aliens with multiple trunks from Alpha Centauri who come in on a Bussard Ramjet.

Erich Segal (1937-2010) 'Love Story' by Erich Segal 'Love Story' starring Ryan O'Neal (1941-) and Ali MacGraw (1938-), 1970

On Feb. 14, 1970 Erich Wolf Segal (1937-2010) pub. Love Story, a bestselling (9M copies) (41 weeks on the NYT best seller list) novelization of his screenplay for the film, released on Dec. 16; WASP Harvard student Oliver Barrett IV meets working class Radcliffe student Jennifer Cavilleri, who gets rejected by his establishment dad but p-whips him into marrying him, after which she supports him through Harvard Law School, then dies of leukemia, woo-woo-woo; opening lines "What can you way about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brillant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. The Beatles. And me."; "Love means never having to say you're sorry"; by Nov. the paperback ed. sells 4.35M copies. On Dec. 16, 1970 Arthur Hiller's Love Story (Paramount Pictures) debuts, written by Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Erich Wolf Segal (1937-2010), starring stars Romeo, er, Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal (1941-) as rich Harvard student Oliver Barrett IV, and Alice "Ali" McGraw (1938-) as poor Juliet, er, Jenny Cavilleri, jerking big tears with her pathetic death, woo-woo-woo; the novel is later written from the script; features the song Where Do I Begin? (Love Story); #1 grossing film of 1970 ($106.3M); the word cancer is never mentioned in the film; using McGraw to portray a brainy Radcliffe babe is outrageous miscasting, but perfect for the crowds who only want to see her bod? - brilliant? In 1977 Segal pub. Oliver's Story, sequel to "Love Story" (1970); Oliver meets Joanna Stein then Marcie Binnendale, whom he concludes is "a cold and heartless bitch" for condoning child labor.

Anne Tyler (1941-)

In 1964 Minneapolis, Minn.-born Anne Tyler (1941-) pub. If Morning Ever Comes. In 1965 she pub. The Tin Can Tree. In 1970 she pub. A Slipping-Down Life. In 1972 she pub. The Clock Winder. In 1974 she pub. Celestial Navigation; an agoraphobic artist marries a self-sufficient woman. In 1975 she pub. Searching for Caleb; a positive review by John Updike makes her a star. In 1977 she pub. Earthly Possessions; a woman is about to leave her husband and is taken hostage by a bank robber, hooking up with him. In 1980 she pub. Morgan's Passing; 42-y.-o. hardware store mgr. Morgan Gower. In 1982 she pub. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant; a deserted wife and her interfering mother; her masterpiece? In 1985 she pub. The Accidental Tourist; filmed in 1988. In 1988 she pub. Breathing Lessons, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1991 she pub. Saint Maybe. In 1995 she pub. Ladder of Years. In 1998 she pub. A Patchwork Planet. In 2001 she pub. Back When We Were Grownups; a middle-aged woman widowed at 26; "Once upon a time there was a woman who discovered that she had turned into the wrong person." In 2004 she pub. The Amateur Marriage; it began in WWII and lasts for decades? In 2006 she pub. Digging to America; married to an Iranian immigrant, the author explores upper middle class white-is-not-right Am. families adopting female babies from Asia, incl. an Iranian-Am. couple.

Alice Walker (1944-)

In 1970 Eatonton, Ga.-born Alice Malsenior Walker (1944-) pub. her first novel The Third Life of Grange Copeland. In 1976 she pub. Meridian; the love triangle of Meridian, Truman, and Lynne in the racist Am. South. In 1982 she pub. The Color Purple (Pulitzer Prize); set in 1930s rural Ga.; Celie, her Pa, who raped her at age 14, her sister Nettie, Shug, and her forced marriage to "Mr. ---", along with black-on-black violence, incest, and lesbianism; Celie moves to Memphis and designs unisex pants; "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."; filmed in 1988 by Stephen Spielberg.

Oscar Zeta Acosta (1935-74)

In 1971 Oscar Zeta Acosta (1935-74), the real Dr. Gonzo in Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" pub. his first novel The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo. In 1973 he pub. The Revolt of the Cockroach People, about the 1970 Chicano Moratorium. Too bad, he disappears in Mexico in 1974.

Ernest J. Gaines (1933-)

In 1971 Pointe Coupee Parish, La.-born Ernest J. Gaines (1933-) pub. his first novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, a bestseller about a 110-y.-o. black Am. ex-slave; becomes a hit with white readers; turned into a 1975 series starring Cicely Tyson. In 1978 he pub. In My Father's House; a black minister's son returns to kill him in revenge for wronging his mother. In 1983 he pub. A Gathering of Old Men; a sheriff hears a group of aging black men who each confess to murder. In 1993 he pub. A Lesson Before Dying; black man Jefferson is framed for murder and gets the death sentence despite his lawyer's defense that he's a "hog" and should not be butchered, after which teacher Grant Wiggins is asked by his godmother Miss Emma to "make Jefferson a man" before he dies.

Don DeLillo (1936-)

In 1971 New York City-born Don DeLillo (1936-) pub. his first novel Americana, about a U.S. TV exec who goes on a cross-country car trip. In 1972 he pub. End Zone, about a West Texas college running back and nuclear warfare. In 1973 he pub. Great Jones Street, about rock star Bucky Wunderlick (Bob Dylan?). In 1976 he pub. Ratner's Star; 14-y.-o. math whiz Billy must decode a message from a distant star. In 1977 he pub. Players; Lyle and Pammy Wyant explore the dark side of affluence. In 1978 he pub. Running Dog. In 1980 he pub. Amazons under the alias Cleo Birdwell. In 1982 he pub. The Names; James and Kathryn hook up with Greek archeologist Owen Brademas in a search for a hammer-killer "language cult" in Greece who are into hidden names of God. On Jan. 21, 1985 he pub. White Noise, about Hitler Studies prof. Jack Gladney and his search for the fear of death drug Dylar. In 1988 he pub. Libra, about JFK and Lee Harvey Oswald. On June 20,1991 he pub. Mao II, about a reclusive novelist On Oct. 3, 1997 he pub. Underworld, about waste mgt. exec Nick Say and his wife Marian. In 1999 he pub. Valparaiso. In 2001 he pub. The Body Artist; a woman uses Zen to heal from the death of her husband. On Apr. 14, 2003 he pub. Cosmopolis; 28-y.-o. billionaire Eric Parker tries to take his stretch limo across midtown Manhattan to get a haircut and loses his fortune by betting against the rise of the yen.

Tom Robbins (1932-) 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues' by Tom Robbins (1932-), 1976

In 1971 Blowing Rock, N.C.-born Thomas Eugene "Tom" Robbins (1932-) pub. his first novel Another Roadside Attraction; the mummified body of Christ draws visitors to John Paul's and Amanda Ziller's Captain Kendrick's Memorial Hot Dog Wildlife Preserve outside Seattle in Skagit County, Wash.; becomes a cult classic. In 1976 he pub. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues; Sissy Hankshaw has the biggest thumbs in the world, and aspires to be the world's greatest hitchhiker, but first tries a NYC modeling career for the gay Countess, who introduces to her betrothed, Julian Gitche the Mohawk, and sends her to the Rubber Rose ranch, run by eco-lesbians, where she hooks up with Bonanza Jellybean and the Chink; filmed in 1994. In Oct. 1980 he pub. Still Life with Woodpecker; "A love story that happens inside a pack of cigarettes"; an exiled princess and her activist outlaw lover in Seattle who deciphers hidden messages on Camel cigarette packages. In 1984 he pub. Jitterbug Perfume; a Seattle waitress tries to invent the perfect perfume and find a mysterious blue bottle.

Thomas Tryon (1926-91)

In 1971 Hartford, Conn.-born actor Thomas "Tom" Tryon (1926-91) pub. his first novel The Other, a bestseller about two haunted New England identical twin brothers in 1935; filmed in 1972 by Robert Mulligan. On May 12, 1973 he pub. Harvest Home; New York City couple Ned and Beth Constantine with a teenie daughter leave New York City for Cornwall Coombe, where Widow Fortune gets them accepted, after which they learn the village's secret about the corn crop; turned into a 1978 NBC-TV miniseries starring Bette Davis. In 1974 he pub. Lady. In 1989 he pub. The Night of the Moonbow; 13-y.-o. orphan Leo Joaquim at Camp Friend, Conn. in the summer of 1938 experiences parallels to Nazi Germany. In 1990 he pub. The Wings of the Morning. In 1991 he pub. In the Fire of Spring. In 1992 The Adventures of Opal and Cupid is pub. posth.

Joseph Wambaugh (1937-)

In 1971 East Pittsburgh, Penn.-born Joseph Aloysius Wambaugh Jr. (1937-) pub. his first novel The New Centurions. In 1973 he pub. The Blue Knight. In 1973 he pub. The Onion Field. In 1975 he pub. The Choirboys; "As if 'Catch-22' had been written by Popeye Doyle" (NYT). On Dec. 31, 1977 he pub. The Black Marble; LAPD detective A.A. Valnikov and his partner Natalie Zimmerman investigate dog-nappers. In 1981 he pub. The Glitter Dome; his last LAPD novel until 2006. In 1983 he pub. The Delta Star; Det. Mario Villalobos of Rampart Station on the case of murdered ho Missy Moonbean. In 1984 he pub. Lines and Shadows; the undercover Border Crime Task Force S of San Diego. In 1985 he pub. The Secrets of Harry Bright. In 1987 he pub. Echoes in the Darkness; the murder case of h.s. teacher Susan Reinart. In 1990 he pub. The Golden Orange. In 1992 he pub. Fugitive Nights. In 1994 he pub. Finnegan's Week; Finbar Finnegan. In 1996 he pub. Floaters. In 2002 he pub. Fire Lover: A True Story; Los Angeles "Pillow Pyro" arsonist John Leonard Orr (1949-). In 2006 he pub. Hollywood Station; his first LAPD novel since "The Glitter Dome" (1983); life under the federal consent decree and a 20% female cop force. In 2008 he pub. Hollywood Crows.

James Welch (1940-2003)

In 1971 Browning, Mont.-born James Welch (1940-2003) (Blackfeet father, Gros Ventre mother) pub. his first and only poetry collection Riding the Earthboy 40, about the 40 acres in Montana his father leased from the Blackfeet Earthboy family; "The most important book of poetry in all of Native American literature. James Welch is our Frost, Donne, Dickinson, and Stevens" (Sherman Alexie). In 1974 he pub. his first novel Winter in the Blood; a 32-y.-o. man comes to terms with his Indian heritage on the Rez in Mont.; "He had learned to give the illusion of work, even to the point of sweating as soon as he put his gloves on, while doing very little." In 1979 he pub. The Death of Jim Loney; 35-y.-o. halfbreed Indian in a small Montana town self-destructs after both societies reject him. In 1986 he pub. Fools Crow, based on the Marias Blackfeet Massacre of 1870, which the author's great-grandmother survived. In 1990 he pub. The Indian Lawyer; Sylvester Yellow Calf.

Robin Cook (1940-)

In 1972 New York City-born Harvard Medical School-educated surgeon Robin Cook (1940-) pub. his first novel The Year of the Intern, inventing the medical thriller, combining fact and fantasy, giving readers a glimpse inside the weird world of medicine plus a lesson on freakiness. In 1977 he pub. Coma, a bestseller about four medical students who discover that the senior doctors are putting patients in a coma then harvesting their body parts for the black market. In 1979 he pub. Sphinx, trying to go out of the medical thriller biz and learning it ain't worth it? In 1980 he pub. Brain. In 1982 he pub. Fever; a cancer researcher's daughter gets leukemia, which he traces to a chemical plant. In 1983 he pub. Godplayer; psychiatrist Cassandra Kinsley marries the egotistical top heart surgeon at the hospital. In 1985 he pub. Mindbend; Adam Schonberg goes to work for a mad drug co. In 1987 he pub. Outbreak; Dr. Melissa Blumenthal of the CDC in Atlanta discovers doctors planting viruses in health care center, and they come after her. In 1988 he pub. Mortal Fear; Dr. Alvin Hayes and his stripper babe Carol Donner track the mystery of deaths by aging. In 1989 he pub. Mutation; Dr. Victor Frank tries to create a genius son by implanting embryos, and creates a Frankenstein. In 1990 he pub. Harmful Intent; anesthesiologist Jeffrey Rhodes is framed for malpractice. In 1991 he pub. Vital Signs. In 1992 he pub. Blindsight. In 1993 he pub. Fatal Cure; Vt. doctors David and Angela Wilson take on a corrupt HMO; also Terminal; the Forbes Cancer Centre creates a cancer, then cures people who get it. In 1995 he pub. Contagion; forensic pathologist Jack Stapleton takes on corrupt HMO Americare. In 1996 he pub. Acceptable Risk; a scientist discovers a mind-altering drug and experiments on himself. In 1997 he pub. Chromosome 6; Dr. Jack Stapleton traces a Mafia corpse to Africa. In 1998 he pub. Toxin; cardiac surgeon Kim Reggis loses his daughter Becky to E. coli and infiltrates a meat-packing plant. In 1999 he pub. Vector; disgruntled Russian immigrant Yuri Davydov plots to do the U.S. in with Soviet bioweapons.

Robert Cormier (1925-2000)

In 1972 Leominster, Mass.-born Robert Edmund Cormier (1925-2000) pub. The Chocolate War; Jerry Renault vs. the Vigils and headmaster Brother Leon at Trinity H.S.; his first hit, becoming the 4th most challenged book in h.s. libraries; filmed in 1988. In 1974 he pub. The Moustache. In 1977 he pub. I Am the Cheese, about Adam Farmer of Ruterburg, Vt. In 1985 he pub. Beyond the Chocolate War.

George V. Higgins (1939-99)

In 1972 Brockton, Mass.-born George Vincent Higgins (1939-99) pub. his first novel The Friends of Eddie Coyle, a glimpse into the real world of Boston crime using realistic dialog that implies the plot, making him an instant hit after 17 years of trying, becoming "the Balzac of the Boston underworld"; filmed in 1973. In 1973 he pub. The Digger's Game. In 1974 he pub. Cogan's Trade. In 1975 he pub. A City on a Hill. In 1976 he pub. Storm Warning; The Judgement of Deke Hunter. In 1977 he pub. Dreamland. In 1979 he pub. A Year or So with Edgar. In 1980 he pub. Kennedy for the Defense; sleazy Boston criminal atty. Jerry Kennedy. In 1981 he pub. The Rat on Fire; slumlord pays Jimmy and Leo to torch his bldgs. In 1982 he pub. The Patriot Game. On Dec. 12, 1983 he pub. A Choice of Enemies. In 1984 he pub. Old Earl Died Pulling Traps: A Story. On Feb. 12, 1985 he pub. Penance for Jerry Kennedy; Jerry Kennedy #2. In 1986 he pub. Imposters. In 1987 he pub. Outlaws. In 1989 he pub. The Sins of the Fathers (Jan. 1); also Trust (Jan. 1); used car salesman Earle Beale; also Wonderful Years, Wonderful Years (Oct. 1); Gene Arbuckle. In 1990 he pub. Victories. In 1991 he pub. The Mandeville Talent. In 1992 he pub. Defending Billy Ryan; Jerry Kennedy #3. In 1993 he pub. Bomber's Law. In 1995 he pub. Swan Boats at Four. In 1996 he pub. Sandra Nichols Found Dead; Jerry Kennedy #4. In 1997 he pub. A Change of Gravity. In 1999 he pub. The Agent. In 2000 At End of Day is posth. pub.

Steven Millhauser (1943-)

In 1972 New York City-born Steven Millhauser (1943-) pub. his first novel Edwin Mulhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer, 1943-1954, by Jeffrey Cartwright, about a precocious tyke from birth to age 11. In 1977 he pub. Portrait of a Romantic (Aug. 11); Edwin Mulhouse from ages 11-15. In 1996 he pub. Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer, which wins a Pulitzer Prize.

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (1939-2007)

In 1972 Alexandria, La.-born Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (1939-2007) pub. her first novel The Flame and the Flower, a bestselling (4M copies) bodice-ripping erotic historical romance novel, founding the genre; Heather Simmons (the flower) and Capt. Brandon Birmingham (the flame).

Helen Yglesias (1915-2008)

In 1972 New York City-born Helen Bassine Yglesias (1915-2008) pub. her first novel How She Died, about Mary Moody Schwartz, daughter of a convicted Am. Commie spy. In 1976 she pub. Family Feeling. In 1981 she pub. Sweetsir; a mean New England man's 5th wife decides to stab him. In 1988 she pub. The Saviors. In 1999 she pub. The Girls.

Rita Mae Brown (1944-)

In 1973 Hanover, Penn.-born lesbian poet Rita Mae Brown (1944-) pub. her first novel Rubyfruit Jungle, which becomes a lesbian hit. In 1982 she pub. Southern Discomfort; a white matron hooks up with a black teenie in Montgomery, Ala. In 1986 she pub. High Hearts. In 1990 she pub. Wish You Were Here; introduces the feline char. Mrs. Murphy; co-authored with her cat Sneaky Pie Brown.

Barry Gifford (1946-)

In 1973 Chicago, Ill.-born poet Barry Gifford (1946-) pub. his first novel A Boy's Novel. In 1980 he pub. Landscape With Traveler: The Pillow Book of Francis Reeves; also Port Tropique. In 1982 he pub. Francis Goes to the Seashore. In 1983 he pub. Unfortunate Woman. In 1987 he pub. Giotto's Circle. In 1990 he pub. Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula; Sailor and Lula #1 of 7. In 1991 he pub. Sailor's Holiday: The Wild Life of Sailor and Lula; Sailor and Lula #2 of 3. In 1992 he pub. 59 Degrees and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango; Sailor and Lula #3 of 3; A Good Man to Know: A Semi-Documentary Fictional Memoir. In 1994 he pub. Flaubert at Key West. In 1995 he pub. Arise and Walk; Baby Cat-Face. In 1998 he pub. The Sinaloa Story. In 2000 he pub. Wyoming. In 2005 he pub. Do the Blind Dream? In 2006 he pub. The Stars Above Veracruz. In 2007 he pub. Imagination of the Heart; Sailor and Lula #7; also Memoirs from a Sinking Ship.

Clive Cussler (1931-)

In 1973 Aurora, Ill.-born Clive Eric Cussler (1931-) pub. his first novel The Mediterranean Caper (MAYDAY!), about marine engineer-govt. agent Dirk Pitt. In 1975 he pub. Iceberg; Dirk Pitt #2. In 1976 he pub. Raise the Titanic!; Dirk Pitt #3; his first big hit. In 1978 he pub. Vixen 03; Dirk Pitt #4. In 1980 he pub. Night Probe!; Dirk Pitt #5. In Jan. 1983 he pub. Clive Cussler (1931-), Pacific Vortex!; Dirk Pitt #6 (first one written). In 1984 he pub. Deep Six; Dirk Pitt #7. In 1986 he pub. Cyclops; Dirk Pitt #8. In 1988 he pub. Treasure; Dirk Pitt #9. In 1990 he pub. Dragon; Dirk Pitt #10. In 1992 he pub. Sahara; Dirk Pitt #11. In 1994 he pub. Inca Gold; Dirk Pitt #12. In 1996 he pub. Shock Wave; Dirk Pitt #13. In 1996 he pub. The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks, which gets him a Doctor of Letters degree from SUNY Maritime College, the first time they award it. In 1997 he pub. Flood Tide; Dirk Pitt #14. In 1999 he pub. Atlantis Found; Dirk Pitt #15. In 2001 he pub. Valhalla Rising; Dirk Pitt #16. In 2002 he pub. The Sea Hunters II: Diving the World's Seas for Famous Shipwrecks. In 2003 he pub. Trojan Odyssey; Dirk Pitt #17. In 2004 he pub. Black Wind; Dirk Pitt #18. In 2006 he and Dirk Cussler pub. Treasure of Khan; Dirk Pitt #19; Pitt stops an oil mogul who seeks to use Genghis Khan's lost tomb to control the world. In 2008 he pub. Plague Ship; also in Nov. he and Dirk Cussler pub. Arctic Drift; Dirk Pitt #20.

Tim O'Brien (1946-)

In 1973 Austin, Minn.-born Tim O'Brien (1946-) pub. his first novel If I Die in a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Send Me Home, a Vietnam War "autofiction", after which he sets out to write the "Red Badge of Courage" for Vietnam; "Can the foot soldier teach anything important about war, merely for having been there? I think not. He can tell war stories." In 1975 he pub. Northern Lights; one Minn. brother is pro-Vietnam War, the other anti. In 1978 he pub. Going After Cacciato; Vietnam War vet chases imaginary deserter Cacciato.

Robert Brown Parker (1932-2010)

In 1973 Springfield, Mass.-born Robert Brown Parker (1932-2010) pub. his first novel The Godwulf Manuscript, first in a hit series about Boston P.I. Spenser.

Richard Price (1949-)

In 1973 Bronx, N.Y.-born Richard Price (1949-) pub. his first novel The Wanderers, about teen gangs in 1962 Bronx, N.Y. In 1976 he pub. Bloodbrothers; filmed in 1978. In 1978 he pub. Ladies' Man. In 1983 he pub. The Breaks. In 1992 he pub. Clockers, about the drug war in Dempsey, N.J.; filmed in 1995 by Spike Lee. On June 1, 1998 he pub. Freedomland, about the search for a 4-y.-o. boy in an abandoned theme park. In 2003 he pub. Samaritan. In 2008 he pub. Lush Life.

Francine Prose (1947-)

In 1973 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Francine Prose (1947-) pub. her first novel Judah the Pious. In 1974 she pub. The Glorious Ones. In 1977 she pub. Marie Laveau. In 1981 she pub. Household Saints; the Santangelos in New York's Little Italy in the 1950s; filmed in 1993 by Nancy Savoca. In 1986 she pub. Bigfoot Dreams. In 1992 she pub. Primitive People. In 1995 she pub. Hunters and Gatherers. In 2000 she pub. Blue Angel; satire of PC Puritanism on campus. In 2003 she pub. After Joanna Cotler. In 2005 she pub. A Changed Man; neo-Nazi skinhead Vincent Nolan walks into the World Brotherhood Watch, a human rights org. headed by Auschwitz survivor Meyer Maslow. In Sept. 2008 she pub. Goldengrove; suburban teenie Nico loves her older sister Margaret.

Danielle Steel (1947-)

In 1973 New York City-born Danielle Steel (Danielle Fernande Dominique Schuelein-Steel) (1947-) (descendant of the founders of Lowenbrau beer and a Portuguese diplomat) pub. her first novel Going Home, launching her romance drama novel career, going on to sell 500M+ copies in the next 30 years.

Walter Abish (1931-)

In 1974 Vienna, Austria-born Walter Abish (1931-) pub. his first novel Alphabetical Africa, about two jewel thieves who travel to Africa looking for an abducted love; 1st chapter consists of words beginning with the letter A, 2nd chapter words start with A and B, etc.; chapter #26 is open, after which the next 25 chapters reverse the process. On Jan. 31, 1975 he pub. Minds Meet. In Dec. 1980 he pub. How German Is It: Wie Deutsch Ist Es; Am. writer visits postwar "New Germany" and struggles with how to live with the memories of Nazi horrors. In 1990 he pub. 99: The New Meaning. In 1993 he pub. Eclipse Fever.

Peter Benchley (1940-2006)

In 1974 New York City-born Peter Bradford Benchley (1940-2006) pub. Jaws, which becomes the most successful first novel in U.S. history (9M copies); filmed in 1975; "The old fish moved slowly through the water" (opening); "Then he began to kick toward the shore" (ending). In 1976 he pub. The Deep. In 1991 he pub. Beast. In 1994 he pub. White Shark.

Joe Haldeman (1943-)

In 1974 Oklahoma City, Okla.-born Joe William Haldeman (1943-) pub. his first novel The Forever War, about an interstellar war between humans and the Taurans, followed by Forever Peace (1997), Forever Free (1999), and A Separate War (1999). In 1990 he pub. the novella The Hemingway Hoax, about Hemingway scholar John Baird discovering Hemingway's long-lost 1921 ms. and getting into a time travel adventure.

Stephen King (1947-)

On Apr. 24, 1974 Portland, Maine-born horror novelist Stephen King (1947-) pub. his first novel Carrie, about a h.s. girl with telekenetic powers who is persecuted and gets even, based on his job as a h.s. janitor, where he saw tampon machines; a big hit, it allows him to quit his day job and become the best-selling U.S. author for the rest of the cent.; filmed in 1977 starring Sissy Spacek. In 1975 he pub. Salem's Lot, in which vampires take over a small U.S. town; originally pub. in a limited ed. of 900 copies. In 1977 he pub. The Shining; title comes from John Lennon's "Instant Karma" line "We all shine on"; his first hardback bestseller; filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1980, and adapted into a TV miniseries in 1997; Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy and son Danny winter at the Overlook Hotel; Jack gets a little cabin fever, while psychic hotel chef Dick Hallorann tries to help Wendy and Danny; July 4, 1921. In 1978 he pub. The Stand, based on his short story "Night Surf"; the total breakdown of society through violence after the human-made superflu virus Project Blue AKA Captain Trips gets loose. In 1980 he pub. Firestarter; 7-y.-o. Charlene "Charlie" McGee torches evil govt. agents chasing her and her daddy Andrew "Andy" McGee, who can make people go blind; typical King fare, based on turning nightmares into everyday reality. In 1981 he pub. Cujo; a rabid St. Bernard in Castle Rock, Maine. In 1982 he pub. The Running Man under the alias Richard Bachman; set in 2025, when the world economy has collapsed; also The Gunslinger; vol. #1 of the Dark Tower series; inspired by Robert Browning's poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came"; has it pub. by quality publisher Donald Grant; Roland Deschain of Gilead chases the Man in Black. In 1983 he pub. Christine; a demon-possessed red 1958 Plymouth Fury in Monroeville, Penn., site of the 1978 film "Dawn of the Dead"; filmed in 1983; Pet Sematary; filmed in 1989; Dr. Louis Creed moves from Chicago to rural Maine, across from a pet cemetery created by local children; when the family cat is killed, he learns about an ancient Indian burial ground deeper in the woods. In 1987 he pub. Misery, about bestselling Victorian romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who likes to stay in the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, Colo. gets tired of his char. Misery Chastain and the ms. for "Fast Car", tries to drive to Los Angeles and gets in a car crash, and is rescued by fan and serial murderer Annie Wilkes, who can't handle his "Misery" series ending and calls him a "dirty birdie", then tortures him and forces him to rewrite it. In 1993 he pub. Dolores Claiborne; a maid, her hubby Joe St. George, rich Vera Donovan (1946-), murder and incest on Maine's Tall Island; "The dust bunnies are everywhere". In 1995 he pub. Rose Madder. In 1996 he pub. The Green Mile; death row guards Paul Edgecombe (good guy) and Percy Wetmore at Cole Mountain Pen in Maine deal with giant black angel-devil John Coffey, "Billy the Kid" Wharton, and Eduard Delacroix.

John Nichols (1940-)

In 1974 Berkeley, Calif.-born John Treadwell Nichols (1940-) pub. The Milagro Beanfield War, first in his New Mexico Trilogy incl. "The Magic Journey" (1978), "The Nirvana Blues" (1981). In 1978 he pub. The Magic Journey; Dale Rodey McQueen and April Delaney in Chamisaville; New Mexico Trilogy #2. In 1981 he pub. The Nirvana Blues; New Mexico Trilogy #3. In 1987 he pub. American Blood; Vietnam vet Michael Smith goes sociopath. In 1992 he pub. An Elegy for September; autobio. novel. In 1994 he pub. Conjugal Bliss: A Comedy for the Martial Arts; Roger and Zelda and their marriage from Hell. On June 9, 2001 he pub. An American Child Supreme: The Education of a Liberation Ecologist. In 2006 he pub. American Blood. On Oct. 4, 2007 he pub. The Empanada Brotherhood.

John Crowley (1942-)

In 1975 Presque Isle, Main-born John Crowley (1942-) pub. his first novel The Deep. In 1976 he pub. Beasts. In 1979 he pub. Engine Summer; Rush that Speaks in a post-apocalyptic world. In 1981 he pub. Little, Big; or, The Fairies' Parliament; leans on deceased British occult historian Dame Frances Amelia Yates (1899-1981). In 1987 he pub. Aegypt (4 vols.) (1987-2007); Pierce Moffett and his Hermit ms. in the Faraway Hills at the N.Y.-N.J.-Penn. border. In 2002 he pub. The Translator. In 2005 he pub. Lord Byron's Novel: The Evening Land. In 2008 he pub. Four Freedoms.

Thomas Harris (1940-)

In 1975 Jackson, Tenn.-born Thomas Harris (1940-) pub. his first novel Black Sunday. In 1981 he pub. Red Dragon, about serial killers Francis "the Tooth Fairy" Dolarhyde and Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter. In 1988 he pub. The Silence of the Lambs; Hannibal the Cannibal Lecter helps FBI agent Clarice Starling solve the serial murderer case of Buffalo Bill, but requires quid pro quo so he can mess with her mind - mute muttons? In 1999 he pub. Hannibal; Hannibal the Cannibal Lecter hides out in style in artsy-fartsy Florence and is tracked down by his defaced pedophile enemy Mason Verger.

Anita Shreve (1946-)

In 1975 Anita Shreve (1946-) pub. her first novel Past the Island, Drifting. In 1989 she pub. Eden Close. In 1991 she pub. Strange Fits of Passion. In 1993 she pub. Where or When. In 1995 she pub. Resistance. In 1997 she pub. The Weight of Water, about how the 1873 Smuttynose, Maine murders are investigated by mag. photographer Jean Janes, who imagines a solution; filmed in 2000. In 2002 she pub. a href="http://google.com">Sea Glass. In 2003 she pub. Light on Snow. On Oct. 10, 2005 she pub. A Wedding in December; Bill and Bridget. In 2006 she pub. Body Surfing. In 2007 she pub. Body Surfing; 29-y.-o. live-in tutor Sydney Sklar, 18-y.-o. tutoree Julie and her two older hot brothers.

Scott Spencer (1945-)

In 1975 Washington, D.C.-born Scott Spencer (1945-) pub. his first novel Last Night at the Brain Thieves Ball; Paul Galambos is abducted by NESTER (New England Sensory Testing and Engineering Research). In 1976 he pub. Preservation Hall. In 1979 he pub. Endless Love; filmed in 1981 by Franco Zeffirelli starring Brooke Shields; "When I was seventeen and in full obedience to my heart's most urgent commands, I stepped far from the pathway of normal life and in a moment's time ruined everything I loved - I loved so deeply, and when the love was interrupted, when the incorporeal body of love shrank back in terror and my own body was locked away, it was hard for others to believe that a life so new could suffer so irrevocably. But now, years have passed and the night of August 12, 1967, still divides my life." (opening). In 1986 he pub. Waking the Dead; liberal atty. Fielding Pierce loses his babe, liberal social activist Sarah Williams in Chile, then runs for Congress and thinks he sees her again; filmed in 2000 starring Billy Crudup and Jennifer Connelly. In 1990 he pub. Secret Anniversaries. In 1995 he pub. Men in Black; a 40-y.-o. Jewish novelist writes a primer on UFOs; not related to the "Men in Black" movies. In 1998 he pub. Rich Man's Table. In 2008 he pub. Willing; 37-y.-o. New York writer Avery Jankowsky has a midlife crisis. In 2009 he pub. A Ship Made of Paper.

Robert Anton Wilson (1932-2007) Robert Joseph Shea (1933-94)

In 1975 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Robert Anton Wilson (1932-2007) and Robert Joseph Shea (1933-94) pub. The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a satire of conspiracy theorists; Operation Mindfuck and Celine's Laws; popularizes Discordianism, an attempt to make everybody in the world a pope, who each must excommunicate all the other popes, and issue catmas instead of dogmas, and the word "fnord".

Alex Haley (1921-92) Alex Haley's 'Roots' book, 1976 Alex Haley's 'Roots' TV series, Jan. 23-30, 1977

On Aug. 17,1976 Ithaca, N.Y.-born Alexander Murray Palmer "Alex" Haley (1921-92) pub. the bestseller Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which he calls "faction", a combo of fact and fiction, claiming to have spent 12 years researching his family in W Africa, discovering his first ancestor Kunta Kinte from Juffure, Gambia in 1750 (spawning a tourist boom there as well as a genealogy craze in the U.S.); the saga ends at a funeral in Ark.; spawns the Roots 8-episode miniseries on ABC-TV on Jan. 23-30, 1977, becoming the most successful TV miniseries, changing American perceptions of blacks; on Apr. 19, 1977 he receives a special Pulitzer Prize for it; in 1988 black poet Margaret Walker unsuccessfully sues him for plagiarizing her 1966 novel "Jubilee"; in 1997 a BBC documentary exposes his work as plagiarism, and he later pays white writer Harold Courlander $650K, but since he's such a PC sacred cow it's covered up by the U.S. media? On Jan. 23-30, 1977 the Roots miniseries, based on the 1976 Alex Haley bestseller is televised on ABC-TV on eight straight nights, comforting millions of whites that their white president from the Deep South is all for this TV network healing time, and can commiserate with their plight as long as they don't have to actually have to see a black in real life?; over 100M watch the final tearjerker episode.

Ann Beattie (1947-)

In 1976 Washington, D.C.-born Ann Beattie (1947-) pub. her first novel Chilly Scenes of Winter, about love-smitten Charles, his Phi Beta Kappa friend Sam, and his mother, who spends too much time in the bathtub; filmed in 1979 as "Head Over Heels". In 1980 she pub. Falling in Place; John Knapp and Nina, and Cynthia Forrest and Peter Spangle in summer 1978 while Skylab is falling to Earth. On June 12, 1986 she pub. Love Always, a satire on show biz and publishing. In 1989 she pub. Picturing Will. In 1995 she pub. Another You; Prof. Marshall Lockard's marriage is in crisis. In 1997 she pub. My Life, Starring Dara Falcon.

Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006)

In 1976 Pasadena, Calif.-born UCLA-educated Octavia Estelle Butler (1947-2006) pub. her first novel Patternmaster. In 1987-2000 she pub. the Xenogenesis (Lilith's Brood) Trilogy, about the Oankali, who have three sexes, male, female, and ooloi. She goes on to become the first black woman to gain nat. prominence as a sci-fi writer and receive the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant (1995).

Richard Ford (1944-)

In 1976 Jackson, Miss.-born Richard Ford (1944-) pub. his first novel A Piece of My Heart; Robert Hewes and Sam Newell duke it out on an uncharted island in the Mississippi River. In 1986 he pub. The Sportswriter, first in a trilogy about 38-y.-o. Frank Bascombe, incl. "Independence Day" (1995), "The Lay of the Land" (2006). In 1995 he pub. Independence Day (Pulitzer Prize), 2nd in a trilogy about N.J. realtor Frank Bascombe (1986-2006); first novel to win Pulitzer and P.E.N. Faulkner awards in the same year; no connection with the sci-fi movie about aliens taking over Earth. In 1997 he pub. Women with Men: Three Stories. In 2001 he pub. A Multitude of Sins. In 2006 he pub.The Lay of the Land; 55-y.-o. N.J. realtor Frank Bascombe in the innocent pre-9/11 year 2000 has prostate cancer; #3 in the Frank Bascombe Trilogy.

Judith Guest (1936-)

In 1976 Detroit, Mich.-born Judith Guest (1936-) pub. her first novel Ordinary People, a bestseller about suicidal teenie Conrad "Con" Jarrett, who struggles to handle the accidental death of his brother Jordan "Buck" Jarrett with his father Calvin "Cal" Jarrett in the Chicago suburbs; filmed in 1980. In 1982 he pub. Second Heaven; 16-y.-o. Gale Murray is abused by his father. In 1988 she and Rebecca Hill pub. Killing Time in St. Cloud. In 1997 she pub. Errands. In 2004 she pub. The Tarnished Eye.

James Patterson (1947-)

In 1976 Newburgh, N.Y.-born James B. Patterson (1947-) pub. his first novel The Thomas Berryman Number In 1995 he pub. Kiss the Girls; filmed in 1997. In 1999 he pub. When the Wind Blows; 11-y.-o. Max leads Colo. vet Frannie O'Neill to discover the murderer of hubby Dr. David with the help of FBI agent Kit Harrison. In 2000 he pub. Along Came a Spider. In 2001 he pub. Violets Are Blue. In 2005 he pub. Mary, Mary; Patterson goes for 25 years with less than one book a year, then joins with co-authors and puts out three in 2001, 2002, and 2003, then four in 2004, and five in 2005.

Anne Rice (1941-2021)

In 1976 New Orleans, La.-born Anne Rice (1941-2021) pub. Interview with the Vampire, a bestseller (8M copies); #1 in the 13-vol. Vampire Chronicles (ends 2018); about ancient vampire Lestat de Lioncourt and his recruits Louis de Pointe du Lac and Claudia from 1791 New Orleans; Louis tells his 200-year life story to reporter Daniel Molloy in San Francisco, Calif., who learns nothing and begs to be made a vampire; filmed in 1994 starring Tom Cruise as Lestat, Brad Pitt as Louis, Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, and Christian Slater as the interviewer; written in five weeks from a short story that was spurred by the 1972 death of her daughter Michele from leukemia.

Russell Banks (1940-)

In 1977 Newton, Mass.-born poet Russell Banks (1940-) pub. his debut Snow. On Feb. 29 1984 he pub. The Relation of My Imprisonment, an alternate history involving a Puritan style of writing. In 1985 he pub. Continental Drift; In 1989 he pub. Affliction. In 1991 he pub. The Sweet Hereafter; based on the Sept. 21, 1989 accident between a school bus and a Dr. Pepper truck in Alton, Tex.; filmed in 1997. In 1995 he pub. Rule of the Bone. In 1998 he pub. Cloudsplitter; about abolitionist John Brown.

Winston Groom (1941-)

In 1977 Washington, D.C. born Winston Groom (1944-) pub. his first novel Better Times Than These; Billy Kahn of Bravo Co. in Vietnam. In 1980 he pub. As Summers Die; white La. atty. Willie Croft is hired by black sharecroppers to defend a black woman's oil discovery. In 1984 he pub. Only. In 1986 he pub. Forrest Gump; a Ga. man with an IQ of 75 and his epic life with his girl Jenny, college football, Bubba and his shrimping business, ping pong, Lt. Dan, Hurricane Carmen, and running from coast-to-coast; filmed in 1994; "You don't know what love is"; forecasts the 1994 Republican Rev.? In 1994 he pub. The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook: Recipes & Reflections from Forrest Gump; GUMPisms: The Wit and Wisdom of Forrest Gump. In 1995 he pub. Gump and Co.; sequel to "Forrest Gump" (1986). In 1999 he pub. Such a Pretty, Pretty Girl.

Alice Hoffman (1952-)

On Mar. 31, 1977 New York City-born Alice Hoffman (1952-) pub. her first novel Property of, about a lonely girl who wants to become the you know what of a local gangleader; filmed in 1998. In 1982 she pub. White Horses. In 1985 she pub. Fortune's Daughter. In 1990 she pub. Seventh Heaven. In 1992 she pub. Turtle Moon. In 1994 she pub. Second Nature. In 1996 she pub. Practical Magic; orphans Gillian and Sally Owens have witches for aunts. In 1997 she pub. Here on Earth. In 1999 she pub. Local Girls, about Gretel Samuelson of Franconia, Long Island. In 2000 she pub. The River King.

Toni Morrison (1931-2019)

In 1977 Lorain, Ohio-born Toni Morrison (Chloe Ardelia Wofford) (1931-) pub. Song of Solomon, about Milkman Dead, who searches for a missing treasure along with his black identity and heritage, becoming the first Book-of-the-Month Club selection by an African-Am. since Richard Wright's "Native Son" (1940). In 1987 she pub. Beloved, which wins the Pulitzer Prize; "124 was spiteful" (opening line); former slave Sethe in 1873 Cincinnati, Ohio is haunted by the ghost of the daughter she killed; based on "The Black Book: A Scrapbook Record of African Life, Compiled by the Authority on Black History M.A. Harris (1908-77)", which she began in 1974. In 1998 she pub. Paradise, about fictional all-black Ruby, Okla.

Bruce Sterling (1977-)

In 1977 Austin, Tex.-born Michael Bruce Sterling (1954-) ("Chmn. Bruce") (AKA Vincent Omniveritas) pub. his first novel Involution Ocean; Moby Dick in space? In 1985 he pub. Schismatrix, about the Shaper/Mechanist universe. In 1986 he pub. Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology, which helps define the cyberpunk genre. In 1990 he and William Gibson (1948-) pub. The Difference Engine, about an alternate Victorian Britain in which Charles Babbage succeeded in building a mechanical computer.

Lucian K. Truscott IV (1946-)

In 1977 Japanese-born West Point Class of 1969 gradLucian K. Truscott IV (1946-) pub. the bestseller Dress Gray, which exposes sexism, secrecy, and homophobia via a murder coverup; filmed in 1986.

William Wharton (1925-2008)

On Dec. 12, 1977 Philly-born William Wharton (Albert William Du Aime) (1925-2008) pub. the bestseller Birdy, about a war victim who aspires to be a bird; filmed in 1984. In 1980 he pub. Dad; John Tremont becomes his father Jake's caretaker while his wife Bette recovers from a stroke; filmed in 1989. In 1982 he pub. A Midnight Clear; a WWII U.S. intel platoon has to deal with a surrendering German platoon; filmed in 1992. In 1984 he pub. Scumbler; 60-y.-o. Yank living in Paris makes a living creating apts. In 1987 he pub. Tidings; Will meets his family on Xmas and gives them magic stockings. In 1989 he pub. Franky Furbo; a magical fox rescues dying GI William Wiley and his German captor Wilhelm Klug in WWII. In 1991 he pub. Last Lovers. He becomes a big hit in Poland, causing him to pub. a string of Polish-only novels starting in 1998.

Whitley Strieber (1945-)

On July 31, 1978 San Antonio, Tex.-born horror writer Louis Whitley Strieber (1945-) pub. his first novel The Wolfen, about highly intelligent wolfmen in the inner city who prey on the weak and homeless, avoiding detection until two young wolfen make the mistake of killing two detectives. In 1980 he pub. The Hunger; Miriam Blaylock is cursed with eternal youth, which doesn't stop her from trying to take new love Miriam Blaylock from Dr. Tom Haver. In Mar. 1982 he pub. Black Magic. In June 1983 he pub. The Night Church, about a Satanist conspiracy to rule the world. In 1984 he and James Kunetka pub. Warday; bestseller about limited nuclear warfare. In 1985 he pub. Wolf of Shadows. In Oct. 1986 he pub. Cat Magic; he initially claims a co-author, Jonathan Barry, a witch and aerspace consultant, then admits he's made-up. In 1987 he pub. Communion: A True Story; werewolf slash vampire novelist is an alien abductee too? In 1988 he pub. Transformation; more on personal alien abduction. In 1990 he pub. Billy. In 1991 he pub. The Wild. In 1992 he pub. Unholy Fire. In 1993 he pub. The Forbidden Zone. In 2001 he pub. The Last Vampire. In 2002 he pub. Lilith's Dream. In 2006 he pub. The Grays; aliens abduct humans and tamper with their genes to produce genius kids so they can feed on human emotion in return for technology transfer.

Gregory Maguire (1954-)

On Aug. 1, 1978 Albany, N.Y.-born Gregory Maguire (1954-) pub. his first children's novel The Lightning Time, about a New York City boy discovering the wonders of life in the Adirondacks, followed by 20+ more. In 1995 he pub. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a NYT bestseller; based on the 1900 novel "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, becoming his first non-children's novel, launching a new career of retelling fairy tales for adults; followed by "Son of a Witch" (2005), "A Lion Among Men" (2008), and "Out of Oz" (2011); basis of the 2003 Broadway musical "Wicked". In 1999 he pub. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister; NYT bestseller; a retelling of the tale of Cinderella; made into a 2002 TV movie by Gavin Millar. In 2001 he pub. Lost (Oct. 2); Am. writer Winifred Rudge travels to London to visit distant cousin John Comestor, who is a relative of the man who inspired Charles Dicken's char. Ebenezer Scrooge, and discovers that he has vanished and his apt. is haunted. In 2003 he pub. Mirror, Mirror, a retelling of the tale of Snow White, about 16th cent. nobleman Don Vincente de Nevada of Montefior and his 7-y.-o. daughter Bianca. In 2010 he pub. The Next Queen of Heaven; the Scales family matriarch is driven half-mad by a blow to the head by a statue of the Virgin Mary; gay choirmaster Jeremy fights local nuns to find a practice room for his band. In 2015 he pub. After Alice, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland.

Judith Krantz (1928-)

In 1978 New York City-born Judith Krantz (nee Tarcher) (1928-), fashion ed. of "Good Housekeeping" goes into bestselling fiction after taking flying lessons, and pub. her first novel Scruples, with a formula of sex, money, beauty, and power. In 1980 she pub. Princess Daisy after being paid a record $3,208,875 for paperback rights; Princess Marguerine "Daisy" Valensky, whose parents Prince Alexander "Stash" Valensky and Francesca Vernon mess her up over her brain-damaged twin sister Danielle. In 1982 she pub. Mistral's Daughter, about genius painter Julien Mistral and his redhaired babe Maggy, her redhaired daughter Teddy, and their redhaired love child Fauve. In 1986 she pub. I'll Take Manhattan, about magazine mogul Zachary Amberville, his envious younger brother Cutter, and feisty niece Maxi.

Greg Bear (1951-)

In 1979 San Diego, Calif.-born Gregory Dale "Greg" Bear (1951-) pub. his first novel Hegira, about the Big Collapse at the end of time, in which humans are transported to the planet Hegira, which is filled with giant obelisks inscribed with the knowledge of humanity for them to read. In 1985 he pub. Blood Music, about biotechnologist Vergil Ulam, who smuggles noocytes out of his co. in his bloodstream, which achieve intelligence and take over his body, then assimilate the pop. of North Am.; the first sci-fi novel about nanotechnology? In 1985 he pub. Eon, set in 2005, when the Potato/Stone appears in near Earth orbit, causing a race by the Soviet Union and U.S. to claim it; it is followed by Eternity (1998), Legacy (1995), and The Way of All Ghosts (1999). In 1987 he pub. The Forge of God, about the alien Killers conquering the Earth, followed by Anvil of Stars (1992), where the remnant left on Mars go after the Killers. In 1990 he pub. Queen of Angels, set in the year 2048, when nanotechnology rules peoples' minds. In 1993 he pub. Moving Mars, about Casseia Majumdar and a split on Mars between Earth and Mars factions. In 1998 he pub. Dinosaur Summer, about a plateau in Venezuela where dinos live. In 1999 he pub. Darwin's Radio, about the retrovirus SHEVA, which evolves the next generation in the womb, creating new human species; it is followed by Darwin's Children (2003). In 2002 he pub. Vitals, about scientist Hal Cousins, who seeks immortality. In 2005 he pub. Quantico, about FBI agents trying to prevent a bioterrorist attack, followed by Marisposa (2009). In Aug. 2008 he pub. City at the End of Time, about the city of Kalpa in 300T C.E., which is fighting the Typhon, and sends psychic messages to three drifters in modern-day Seattle, Wash. On Nov. 22, 2010 he pub. Hull Zero Three, about a lost spaceship. In 2010 he also pub. The Mongoliad, set in Foreworld, created by the Subutai Corp.

Jim Harrison (1937-2016)

In 1979 Grayling, Mich.-born Faulner-Hemingway wannabe James "Jim" Harrison (1937-2016) pub. Legends of the Fall, three novellas about revenge, redemption, and sorrow, becoming his first success; filmed in 1994.

LaVyrle Spencer (1943-)

In 1979 Browerville, Minn.-born romance novelist LaVyrle Spencer (1943-) pub. her first novel The Fulfillment. In 1982 she pub. The Endearment; Forsaking All Others; photographer Allison Scott hooks up with model Rick Long. On Jan. 15, 1983 she pub. Hummingbird; Abigail McKenzie is courted by a bandit and a gentleman; also A Promise to Cherish; Lee Walker falls for her boss. In 1984 she pub. The Hellion; Sweet Memories; Twice Loved. In 1985 she pub. Separate Beds; Spring Fancy. On Mar. 1, 1986 she pub. Years; schoolteacher Linnea Brandenborg and farmer Theodore Westgaard in Alamo, N.D.; also A Heart Speaks (Aug. 15). On Mar. 1, 1987 she pub. The Gamble. On Apr. 1, 1988 she pub. Vows. On Mar. 1, 1990 she pub. Morning Glory; ex-con Will Parker answers a husband-wanted ad. On Mar. 1, 1991 she pub. Bitter Sweet; Maggie Pearson and Eric Severson. On Feb. 1, 1992 she pub. Forgiving; Sarah Merritt and her sister Addie. On Mar. 1, 1993 she pub. Bygones; Bess and Michael. On Mar. 1, 1994 she pub. November of the Heart; Jens Harkin. On Mar. 1, 1995 she pub. Family Blessings; widow Lee Reston loses her son Greg to an auto accident. On Mar. 1, 1996 he pub. Home Song; h.s. principal Tom Gardner. On Mar. 1, 1997 she pub. That Camden Summer; Roberta Jewett in Maine. On Mar. 1, 1998 she pub. Small Town Girl; small town girl Tess McPhail goes to Nashville to become a singer. On Apr. 1, 1999 she pub. Then Came Heaven.

Harry Turtledove (1949-)

In 1979 Los Angeles, Calif.-born Harry Norman Turtledove (1949-) pub. his first novel Wereblood under the alias Eric G. Iverson; also Werenight. In 1987 he pub. Agent of Byzantium; Isaac Asimov Presents #3; Muhammad converts to Christianity instead of founding Islam, allowing the Byzantine Empire to flourish. In 1988 he pub. A Different Flesh; Europe conquers North Am.; Noninterference. In 1992 he pub. The Guns of the South: A Novel of the Civil War; pseduo-sci-fi plot has 20th cent. white supremacists travel back to give the Confederates AK-47s and help them win the war, only to see Gen. Robert E. Lee turn on them and become a bleeding heart liberal who frees the slaves? In 1993 he pub. The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump. In 1998 he pub. Justinian under the alias H.N. Turteltaub.

Jean Marie Auel (1936-)

On May 4, 1980 Chicago, Ill.-born Finnish descent Jean Marie Auel (nee Untinen) (1936-) pub. The Clan of the Cave Bear; blonde-blue Cro-Magnon Wurm Glaciation babe Ayla gets adopted by Neanderthals and isn't satisfied to be a male slave like their women are, breaking all the taboos and setting the stage for the appearance of women's libber human women and a ton of women fans; claims that Neanderthals have a collective racial memory that incl. medical knowledge; #1 of 6 in the Earth's Children series, incl. The Valley of the Horses (Apr. 13, 1982), The Mammoth Hunters (Dec. 21, 1985), The Plains of Passage (Sept. 24, 1990), The Shelters of Stone (Apr. 2002), The Land of Painted Caves (Mar. 2011). On Sept. 24, 1982 she pub. The Valley of the Horses, Earth's Children #2; Ayla meets new beau Jondalar of the Zalandonii, her first non-Neanderthal, known for his "large throbbing manhood"; the first book in the series could be enjoyed by men, but now it becomes strictly for women?

David Brin (1950-)

In 1980 Glendale, Calif.-born Glen David Brin (1950-) pub. Sundiver, first in his Uplift series about the Earth ship Streaker in 2489, which discovers a fleet of 50K derelect spaceships belonging to the Progenitors, followed by Startide Rising (1983), and The Uplift War (1987). In 1985 he pub. The Postman, about a post-apocalyptic U.S. that needs a postal worker for a hero; filmed in 1997 starring Kevin Costner. In 1990 he pub. Earth. In 1993 he pub. Glory Season. In 2002 he pub. Kiln (Kil'n) People.

Philip Caputo (1941-)

In 1980 Winchester, Ill.-born Philip Caputo (1941-) pub. his first novel Horn of Africa; journalist Charlie Gage follows Am. mercenaries delivering weapons to Muslim rebels in the Ethiopian desert. In 1983 he pub. Delcorso's Gallery. In 1987 he pub. Indian Country; Christian Starkmann from Mich. wrestles with guilt over dead Vietnam War companion Boniface, an Injun. In 1991 he pub. Means of Escape. In 1996 he pub. Equation for Evil. In 1997 he pub. Exiles. In 1999 he pub. The Voyage. In 2005 he pub. Acts of Faith; Douglas Braithwaite, Fitzhugh Martin, Tara Whitcomb, Michael Goraende, Quinette Hardin; Graham Greene's "The Quiet American" set in Sudan?

Jane Smiley (1949-)

In 1980 LA-born Jane Smiley (1949-) pub. her first novel Barn Blind, about the Karlson family of rural Ill. and their demanding matriarch. In 1981 she pub. At Paradise Gate. In 1984 she pub. Southern Delights. In 1987 she pub. The Age of Grief; filmed in 2002 as "The Secret Lives of Dentists". In 1988 she pub. The Greenlanders. In 1989 she pub. Ordinary Love and Good Will. In 1991 she pub. A Thousand Acres (Pulitzer Prize), a bestseller based on Shakespeare's "King Lear"; filmed in 1979. In 1995 she pub. Moo. In 1998 she pub. The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. In 2000 she pub. Horse Heaven. In 2000 she pub. Good Faith. In 2007 she pub. Ten Days in the Hills, a modern Decameron set five days after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq; 350 pages of dialogue and 100 pages of descriptions of sex acts? In 2009 she pub. The Georges and the Jewels.

Nora Roberts (1950-)

In Jan. 1981 Silver Spring, Md.-born Nora Roberts (Eleanor Marie Robertson) (1950-) pub. her first novel Irish Thoroughbred; she goes on to pub. over 175 romance novels and sell 300M copies. In 1992 she pub. Divine Evil, about artist Clare Kimball and sheriff Cameron Rafferty in Emmitsboro, Md. In July 1995 she pub. Naked in Death under the alias J.D. Robb, the first in a new "In Death" murder series, which is up to two dozen titles by 2009.

Robert Olen Butler (1945-)

In 1981 Granite City, Ill.-born Robert Olen Butler (1945-) pub. his first novel The Alleys of Eden, first of his Vietnam War Trilogy (1982, 1985); a Vietnam deserter decides to stay in Vietnam "because, with all its troubles, Vietnam seems to him to retain more of its integrity, its sense of self, than the America he has left behind"; rejected by 21 publishers until Horizon Press takes a chance on it. In 1982 he pub. Sun Dogs; Vietnam War Trilogy #2. In 1983 he pub. Countrymen of Bones. In 1985 he pub. On Distant Grounds; Vietnam War Trilogy #3. In 1987 he pub. Wabash. In Sept. 1989 he pub. The Deuce, about runaway Vietnamese-Am. teenie Tony Hatcher (Vo Dinh Thanh) in N.J. In 1992 he pub. the short story collection A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, which wins a Pulitzer Prize. In 1994 he pub. They Whisper. In 1997 he pub. The Deep Green Sea.

James Ellroy (1948-)

In 1981 after years of being homless and compiling a criminal record, and almost dying of double pneumonia in 1977, Alcoholics Anonymous member Los Angeles, Calif.-born Lee Earle "James" Ellroy (1948-) pub. his first novel Brown's Requiem, about mysterious caddie Fat Dog Baker, who hires LA-based detective Fritz Brown to spy on his sister Jane and her sugar daddy Sol Kupferman, ending up attending a crooked golf tournament. In Sept. 1987 he pub. The Black Dahlia; the case of Elizabeth Short (1924-47), introducing postmodern historiographic metafiction; first in the L.A. Quartet ("The Big Nowhere", 1988; "L.A. Confidential", 1990; "White Jazz", 1992). In June 1990 he pub. L.A. Confidential; Edmund Exley, Wendell "Bud" White, and Jack Vincennes, a tight-knit group of LAPD officers in the early 1950s investigate a mass murder at the Nite Owl Coffee Shop and get tangled in a web of corruption fueled by scandal mag. "Hush-Hush"; #3 in the L.A. Quartet; filmed in 1997. His relentlessly pessimistic world view earns him the nickname "Demon dog of American crime fiction";

Martin Cruz Smith (1942-)

In 1981 Reading, Penn.-born Martin Cruz Smith (1942-) pub. the bestseller Gorky Park, introducing Soviet homicide detective Arkady Renko, who finds a corpse on the right bank of the Moscow River; filmed in 1983. In 1989 he pub. Polar Star; Arkady Renko #2. In 1992 he pub. Red Square; Arkady Renko #3. In 1999 he pub. Havana Bay; Arkady Renko #4. In 2004 he pub. Wolves Eat Dogs; Arkay Renko #5; detective Arkady Renko vs. the new Russian billionaires near Chernobyl. In 2007 he pub. Stalin's Ghost; Arkady Renko #6; Arkady Renko tracks down Stalin ghost sightings in Moscow subways and deals with the Black Berets.

Vernor Vinge (1944-)

In 1981 Waukesha, Wisc.-born Vernor Steffen Vinge (1944-) pub. True Names, an early cyberspace novel. In 1986 he pub. Marooned in Realtime; impenetrable Bobbles (force fields) that permit jumping into the future, and how a bunch of bobblers found out that humanity disappears in the 23rd cent. then regroup millions of years in the future. In 1992 he pub. A Fire Upon the Deep; the galaxy is divided into zones of thought where the higher levels of technology are farthest from the center; of course, the Unthinking Depths at the center is the realm of human intelligence, and Earth is in the Slow Zone. In 1993 he pub. The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era; describes the Singularity, AKA "Rapture of the Nerds" (Ken MacLeod), with the John the Baptist-like soundbyte "Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended"; launches the Artificial Intelligence Technoreligion, popular in Silicon Valley, which confuses the exponential growth promised by Moore's Law of ICs with exponential growth of technology itself, resulting in cultlike predictions of computers suddenly growing smarter than humans and taking over the world; actually, computers have zero IQ, they are only fixed logic machines processing data according to programs created by humans, who can try to put their IQ into the computers, but actually can't, and Moore's Law is about the packaging density for the same old design, which never evolves; as late as 2009 it is easy to design captchas that allow Web sites to tell dumb computers from human beings. In 1999 he pub. A Deepness in the Sky; Pham Nuwen and the Qeng Ho interstellar trading fleet vs. the Emergents above the spider planet of Arachna orbiting the OnOff star; Victory Smith and Sherkander Underhill, "an intelligence greater than anything on ten legs"; the Zipheads, the ultimate Rainmen, infected with the Focus. In 2002 he pub. Fast Times at Fairmont High. In 2004 he pub. The Cookie Monster. In 2006 he pub. Rainbows End.

Sue Grafton (1940-)

In 1982 Louisville, Ky.-born Sue Taylor Grafton (1940-) pub. A is for Alibi, about female cop-turned-P.I. Kinsey Millhone of Santa Teresa, Calif.; first of an alphabetical series ("B is for Burglar", "C is for Corpse") that ends in ? with ?.

Alice McDermott (1953-)

In 1982 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Alice McDermott (1953-) pub. her first novel A Bigamist's Daughter; Manhattan editor Elizabeth Connelly investigates bigamist story author Tupper Daniels along with her own father's fidelity. In 1987 he pub. That Night; teenie Sheryl gets pregnant and is sent away to live with relatives. In 1992 she pub. At Weddings and Wakes. In 1998 she pub. Charming Billy; Billy Lynch and his lost love; beats Tom Wolfe's "A Man in Full" and Robert Stone's "Damascus Gate" for the Nat. Book Award. In 2002 he pub. Child of My Heart. In 2006 she pub. After This; John and Mary Keane, their children Michael, Annie, Jacob, and Claire during the 1960s sexual rev., and the power of family.

Kent Haruf (1943-)

In 1983 Pueblo, Colo.-born Kent Haruf (1943-) (pr. to rhyme with sheriff) pub. his first novel The Tie That Binds, about 80-y.-o. Edith Goodnough of Holt County, Colo., who tells her past from a hospital bed. In 1999 he pub. Plainsong; school teacher Tom Guthrie in Holt raises two boys after their depressed mommy moves out.

Oscar Hijuelos (1951-)

In 1983 Manhattan, N.Y.-born Oscar Hijuelos (1951-) pub. his first novel Our House in the Last World. In 1989 he pub. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, about 1950s Cuban immigrant brother-musicians Cesar and Nestro Castillo, becoming the first Hispanic to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

William Gibson (1948-)

On July 1, 1984 S.C.-born William Ford Gibson (1948-) (who relocated to Canada in 1967 to avoid the Vietnam War draft) pub. his first novel Neuromancer, which wins the Nebula, Philip K. Dick, and Hugo Awards, inventing the cyberpunk genre, by the coiner of the term "cyberspace"; Henry Dorsett Case, Molly Millions, and Armitage in the Sprawl of Chiba City, Japan; "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel" (first sentence); "He never saw Molly again" (last sentence). In 1988 he pub. Mona Lisa Overdrive.

Tom Clancy (1947-2013)

In 1984 Baltimore, Md.-born former insurance salesman Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy (Gael "red-haired fighter's child") Jr. (1947-2013) pub. his first novel The Hunt for Red October via Naval Inst. Press; after getting a boost from Ronald Reagan, who calls it "the perfect yarn", sales explode, inventing the blockbuster bestselling "techno-thriller" genre; Lithuanian-born Soviet sub cmdr. Marko Alexandrovich Ramius defects with a new Typhon-class sub with a revolutionary stealth propulsion system; introduces CIA analyst Jack Ryan, an honest man in govt., based on Steve R. Pieczenik; filmed in 1990. In 1986 he pub. Red Storm Rising. In 1987 he pub. Patriot Games; Jack Ryan saves the life of a British royal in London, causing the brother of an IRA terrorist he killed to come after him and his family in the U.S. In 1988 he pub. The Cardinal of the Kremlin; longtime high-ranking double-agent Filitov in the Soviet Union is exposed, and Jack Ryan has to get him out, along with Gerasimov, head of the KGB, to whom they make an offer he can't refuse. In 1989 he pub. Clear and Present Danger; the Colombian drug cartel messes with the pres. of the U.S., causing him to send in Marines to mess with them, and Jack Ryan ends up in the middle as usual. In 1991 he pub. The Sum of All Fears; the Israelis lose a nuke and it ends up blowing up in the Bronco's Stadium parking lot in Denver; filmed in 2002. In 1993 he pub. Without Remorse; how John Kelly becomes John Clark, a guy with a lot of dirty laundry that the U.S. uses for dirty jobs. In 1994 he pub. Debt of Honor; Japan goes nuclear and blackmails the U.S., finally crashing an airliner into the White House, after which lucky Jack Ryan becomes pres. of the U.S. In 1996 he pub. Executive Orders; vice-pres. Jack Ryan becomes pres. after a renegade Japanese pilot crashes his airliner into the U.S. Capitol during a joint session, causing America's enemy Iran to zoom in on him, assassinating Saddam Hussein and absorbing Iraq to create the United Islamic Repub. (UIR), allying secretly with China and India, then invading Kuwait and Saudi Arabia after causing an Ebola epidemic in the U.S.; "Throughout history, people have risked their lives for love, for patriotism, for principle, and for God far more often than fear has made them run away. Upon that fact depends progress"; "How do you say tough shit in rag-head?"

Michael Cunningham (1952-)

In 1984 Cincinnati, Ohio-born Michael Cunningham (1952-) pub. his first novel Golden States. In 1989 he pub. The Home at the End of the World. In 1995 he pub. Flesh and Blood, about the Stassos family, incl. brilliant gay Billy. In 1998 he pub. The Hours, an involution of Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" (1925), winning a Pulitzer Prize.

Kim Stanley Robinson (1952-)

In 1984 Waukegan, Ill.-born sci-fi novelist Kim Stanley Robinson (1952-) pub. Icehenge; a Stonhenge-type monument is discovered on Pluto; he also pub. The Wild Shore, followed by The Gold Coast (1988), and Pacific Edge, alternate future histories of Calif. In 1985 he pub. The Memory of Whiteness, about a unique musical instrument and its new master who tours the Solar System. In Sept. 1985 he pub. Green Mars, followed by Red Mars (1992), and Blue Mars (1996), an alternative future history of Mars in 2027-2200, showing it terraformed and populated by humans. In 1997 he pub. Antarctica. In 1999 he pub. The Martians (short stories). In 2002 he pub. The Years of Rice and Salt; an alternate world where almost everybody in Europe dies in the 14th cent. Black Death, allowing the non-Euros incl. the Chinese and the Muslims to share the world. In 2004 he pub. the Science in the Capital series incl. Forty Signs of Rain, followed in 2005 by Fifty Degrees Below, and in 2007 by Sixty Days and Counting, about global warming. In 2009 he pub. Galileo's Dream. In 2012 he pub. 2312; Earth has been ravaged by climate change, and the Solar System has been colonized.

Melissa Scott (1960-)

In Nov. 1, 1984 Ark.-born Melissa Scott (1960-) pub. her first novel The Game Beyond, about the Roman Empire growing to the stars. On June 1, 1986 she pub. A Choice of Destinies, about Alexander the Great. On Sept. 15, 1987 she pub. The Kindly Ones, about Capt. Leith Morrigan and Trey Maturin on Orestes. In 1988 and Lisa A. Barnett (1958-2006) pub. Armor of Light. In 1990 she pub. Mighty Good Road. In 1993 she pub. Dreamships, about virtual reality navigation of spaceships.

Neal Town Stephenson ( 1959-)

In 1984 Ft. Mead, Md.-born Neal Town Stephenson (1959-) pub. his first novel The Big U. In 1988 he pub. Zodiac: The Eco-Thriller. In May 1992 he pub. Snow Crash, about the Metaverse. In 1995 he pub. The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, about Nell, who lives in a future world filled with nanotechnology. In May 1999 he pub. Cryptonomicon, a bestseller based on the story "The King of Maleputa" (1984) by Sol Yurick, about the imaginary island nation of Kinakuta, set up via computer fraud in order to steal from the global bank system.

David Brin (1950-)

In 1985 Glendale, Calif.-born Glen David Brin (1950-) pub. The Postman, about a post-apocalyptic U.S. that needs a postal worker for a hero; filmed in 1997 starring Kevin Costner. In 1990 he pub. Earth. In 1993 he pub. Glory Season. In 2002 he pub. Kiln (Kil'n) People.

Orson Scott Card (1951-)

In 1985 Richland, Wash.-born Orson Scott Card (1951-) (descendant of Brigham Young) pub. Ender's Game, about genius children incl. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, who are trained at Battle School to work computers to kill the Buggers (Formics); big sci-fi hit for its portrayal of children as smarter than adults, although they are just as violent and cruel, spawning a series. In 1989 he pub. The Worthing Saga; also The Folk of the Fringe. In 1991 he pub. Xenocide; Ender #2. In Aug. 1999 he pub. Ender's Shadow; Ender #3.

Bret Easton Ellis (1964-)

In 1985 LA-born Bret Easton Ellis (1964-) pub. his first novel Less Than Zero (title based on the Elvis Costello song) a hit about wealthy degenerate L.A. teenies into sex and drugs; filmed in 1987 starring Andrew McCarthy as rich college student Clay on winter break in LA in the early 1980s, In 1987 he pub. The Rules of Attraction. On Nov. 14, 1990 Simon and Schuster announces the dropping of plans to pub. his controversial novel American Psycho because of passages in "questionable taste", and in 1991 Vintage pub. it, drawing charges of misogyny, nihilism, sadism, and pornography; Roger Rosenblatt of the New York Times writes "Snuff this book", making it more popular?; filmed in 2000 starring Christian Bale as serial killer Patrick Batman.

Carl Sagan (1934-96)

In Sept. 1985 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born astronomer Carl Edward Sagan (1934-96) pub. his first novel Contact; agnostic Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway (named after Eleanor Roosevelt and Francois-Marie Arouet, AKA Voltaire), dir. of Project Argus in N.M. receives a repeating series of the first 261 prime numbers, followed by plans for a spaceship, and travels through wormholes to the center of the Milky Way, meeting with ETs who reveal that God is gone from the Universe but left hidden messages inside pi; author gets a $2M advance on the novel, largest so far for an unwritten book; filmed in 1997.

Dan Simmons (1948-)

In 1985 Peoria, Ill.-born Dan Simmons (1948-) pub. his first novel Song of Kali; journalist Robert Luzcak is sent by his mag. to Calcutta, where he becomes involved with the horrible Kali cult. In 1989 he pub. Carrion Comfort; Saul Laski vs. Nazi mind vampire von Borchert; also Phases of Gravity; ex-astronaut Richard Baedecker meets a mysterious woman; also Hyperion; based on the Canterbury Tales and the Decameron; set in the 28th cent., where the Hegemony enjoys Farcasters that permit instantaneous travel, while the TechnoCore is run by millions of AIs, and the interstellar barbarian Ousters nip at the edges; meanwhile on the remote colony world Hyperion, the Time Tombs and the Shrike and its cult the Church of the Final Atonement cause problems; first in the Hyperion Cantos (1989-97). In 1991 he pub. Summer of Night, a Stephen King "It" clone set in Elm Haven, Ill. In 1992 he pub. The Hollow Man, based on Dante's Inferno. In 1996 he pub. Endymion, followed in 1997 by The Rise of Endymion. In 1999 he pub. The Crook Factory, about Ernest Hemingway's WWII spy ring in Cuba. In 2000 he pub. Darwin's Blade. In 2003 he pub. Ilium, a a recreation of the events of the Iliad on an alternate Earth and Mars; followed by "Olympos" (2005). In 2006 he pub. The Terror, about the doomed 1840s expedition to find the Northwest Passage, plus a legendary Esquimax beast. On Dec. 28, 2008 he pub. Muse of Fire; the Earth becomes a mausoleum after the Archons erase its culture except for Shakespeare.

Stephen Coonts (1946-)

In 1986 Buckhannon, W. Va.-born Stephen Coonts (1946-) pub. Flight of the Intruder, The Intruders, and Final Flight, a a trilogy about Vietnam War A-6 Intruder pilot Jake Grafton, who rises to rear adm. In 1989 he pub. The Minotaur; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #4. In 1990 he pub. Under Siege; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #5 fights Columbian drug lords that have wounded Pres. George H.W. Bush and left Dan Quayle in charge. In 1993 he pub. The Red Horseman; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #6. In 1999 he pub. Cuba; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #7. In 2000 he pub. Hong Kong; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #8. In 2001 he pub. America; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #9. In 2003 he pub. Liberty; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #10. In 2008 he pub. The Assassin; Rear Adm. Jake Grafton #11.

Kaylie Jones (1960-)

In 1986 Kaylie Jones (1940-), daughter of James Jones (1921-77) pub her first novel As Soon As It Rains; teenie Chloe Raymond loses her playwright dad, goes to college, and has mucho boring sex. In 1989 she pub. Quite the Other Way; Clinton Gray studies Russian at the Gorky Inst. in Moscow and uncovers her father's secret life. In Apr. 2000 she pub. Celeste Ascending; Celeste deals with alcoholism. In 2003 she pub. Speak Now.

Norman Rush (1933-)

In 1986 San Francisco, Calif.-born Norman Rush (1933-) pub. the short story collection Whites, about Botswana in the 1980s. In 1991 he pub. his first novel Mating, about ditto.

David R. Ignatius (1950-)

In 1987 David R. Ignatius (1950-) pub. his first novel Agents of Innocence, about CIA agent Tom Rogers in Lebanon. In 1991 he pub. SIRO. In 1994 he pub. The Bank of Fear. In 1997 he pub. A Firing Offense. In 1999 he pub. The Sun King; Great Gatsby set in Washington, D.C.? In 2007 he pub. Body of Lies; original title "Penetration"; CIA agent Roger Ferris.

Terry McMillan (1951-) Jonathan Plummer (1975-)

In 1987 Port Huron, Mich.-born Terry McMillan (1951-) pub. her first novel Mama; black woman Mildred Peacock throws her drunken hubby out and goes on welfare in Point Haven, Mich. In 1989 she pub. Disappearing Acts; Zora and Franklin. In 1992 she pub. Waiting to Exhale. In 1996 she pub. How Stella Got Her Groove Back; a 40+ black woman goes on a Jamaican adventure and falls for a gay, er, guy half her age; inspired by hubby (1998-2006) Jonathan Plummer (1975-); they divorce in 2005 after he reveals he's gay - and no real hetero man would want a 40 when they can have two thousand 20s?

David Foster Wallace (1962-2008)

In 1987 Ithaca, N.Y.-born David Foster Wallace (1962-2008) pub. his first novel The Broom of the System, about 24-.y.-o telephone switchboard operator Lenore Beadsman. In 1996 he pub. the bestseller (1M copies) Infinite Jest; title from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" Act V Scene 1: Pres. Johnny Gentle of the Org. of North Am. Nations (ONAN), composed of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico is a clean freak who turns the NE U.S. and SE Canada into a giant hazardous waste dump; the Incandenzas, the Enfield Tennis Academy, the Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House, Les Assassins des Fateuils Rollens (The Wheelchair Assassins). He leaves the unfinished novel The Pale King, which is posth. pub. on Apr. 15, 2011.

Tom Wolfe (1930-2018)

In 1987 Richmond, Va.-born longtime New Journalist Thomas Kinnerly "Tom" Wolfe Jr. (1930-2018) (known for always wearing a white suit) pub. his first novel The Bonfire of the Vanities (orginally pub. in Rolling Stone in 1984), about bond trader Sherman McCoy, Jewish DA Larry Kramer, British expatriate journalist Peter Fallow, and black politician Rev. Bacon in 1980s New York City - good book, lousy movie? In Nov. 1998 he pub. A Man in Full; bestseller (1.4M copies); a black football star is accused of raping a white woman in Atlanta Jawjaw. In 2004 he pub. I Am Charlotte Simmons; party school Dupont U.; gets a sales boost when Pres. George Dubya Bush recommends it. In 2012 he pub. his 4th and last novel Back to Blood, about Cuban immigrants in Miami.

Jonathan Franzen (1959-)

In 1988 Chicago, Ill.-born Jonathan Franzen (1959-) pub. The Twenty-Seventh City, about the fall from grace of "fourth city" St. Louis, Mo. in the 1870s. In 1992 he pub. Strong Motion; the dysfunctional Holland family on the U.S. E coast. In 2001 he pub. the bestseller The Corrections; Prof. Chip Lambert gets caught sleeping with a student and is fired, then tries to cover it up to his parents Alfred and Enid at a Christmas party.

John Grisham (1955-)

In 1988 Jonesboro, Ark.-born John Grisham (1955-) pub. his first novel A Time to Kill; the first printing is 5K copies. On Feb. 1, 1991 he pub. , The Firm, which becomes the bestselling novel of 1991, causing Grisham to begin pub. one new novel a year, all bestsellers, selling 61M copies by 2000, and 250M copies by 2008, with #1s in 1994-5, 1998-2000, 2002, 2005; filmed in 1993. In 1992 he pub. The Pelican Brief; govt. coverup in La.; filmed in 1993 by Alan J. Pakula. In 1993 he pub. The Client; 11-y.-o. Mark sees a murder and hires atty. Reggie Love for $1; filmed in 1994.

Mary McGarry Morris (1943-)

In 1988 Mary McGarry Morris (1943-) pub. her first novel Vanished; Vt. road crew worker Aubrey Wallace is lured into the woods by evil enchantress Dottycute, and ends up traveling with her for five years with kidnapped child Canny. In 1991 she pub. A Dangerous Woman; filmed in 1993 starring Debra Winger. In 2000 she pub. Fiona Range. In 2004 she pub. A Hole in the Universe; a man returns to his community after 25 years in priz. In 2005 she pub. The Lost Mother; a 12-y.-o. boy tells how his mother leaves the family during the Great Depression.

Katherine Neville (1945-)

In 1988 St. Louis, Mo.-born Katherine Neville (1945-) (wife of neuroscientist Karl H. Pribram) pub. the internat. bestseller The Eight; computer expert Catherine Velis searches for the Montglane Chess Set, originally owned by Charlemagne, given to him by guess how many Moors, then hidden away in Aix-la-Chapelle or Montglane Abbey, causing every big brain from Voltaire (1694-1778), Newton, Rousseau, Robespierre, Euler, James Boswell (1740-95), Ben Franklin, Benedict Arnold, Talleyrand, Andre Philidor, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Casanova, even Napoleon and Tsar Paul I to search for it in the belief that it contains the formula for the Philosopher's Stone and eternal life - here comes the jealousy bug?

Anne Rivers Siddons (1936-)

In 1988 Atlanta, Ga.-born Anne Rivers Siddons (1936-) pub. Peachtree Road, which becomes a bestseller (1M copies); "The Southern novel for our generation" (Pat Conroy); filmed in 1989 as "Heart of Dixie"; Shepard Gibbs "Shep" Bondurant III, his cousin Lucy Bondurant Chastain Venable, and his babe Sarah Cameron, all of Buckland, Atlanta.

Allegra Goodman (1967-)

In 1989 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Allegra Goodman (1967-) pub. her debut short story collection Total Immersion. In 1997 she pub. The Family Markowitz. In 1998 she pub. Kaaterskill Falls, about Rav Kirshner groupies in upstate N.Y. In 2001 she pub. Paradise Park. In 2006 she pub. Intuition, about a virus to cure cancer. In 2008 she pub. The Other Side of the Island.

Amy Tan (1952-)

In 1989 Oakland, Calif.-born Amy Tan (1952-) pub. her first novel The Joy Luck Club, a bestseller about four Chinese-Am. immigrant families, incl. mothers Suyuan Woo, An-Mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, Ying-Ying "Betty" St. Clair, daughters Jing-mei "June" Woo (who takes the place of her deceased mother Suyuan in the weekly 4-person Mah-Johngg games), Rose Hsu Jordan, Waverly Jong, Lena St. Clair; filmed in 1993. In 1991 she pub. The Kitchen God's Wife. In 1995 she pub. The Hundred Secret Senses. In Feb. 2001 she pub. The Bonesetter's Daughter; Ruth Young loses her voice for the 9th time in nine years. In 2003 she pub. The Opposite of Fate. In 2005 she pub. Saving Fish From Drowning; San Fran art maven Bibi Chen is mysteriously murdered; the way Buddhists fish is to scoop them out of the water to guess what, and unfortunately they don't recover.

H.G. 'Buzz' Bissinger (1954-)

In 1990 New York City-born Vanity Fair ed. Harry Gerard "H.G." "Buzz" Bissinger III (1954-) pub. Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream; bestseller (2M copies) about the ill-fated 1988 Permian Panthers of Odessa, Tex., who lose the state 5A football title to the Dallas Carter Cowboys by 14-9, after which on June 20, 1989 two Carter players are arrested for robbing video stores starting five days after the game, leading to 21 robberies by 15 teenies incl. six players uncovered, causing the title to be stripped in Jan. 1991; filmed in 2004 starring Billy Bob Thornton.

Patricia Cornwell (1956-)

In 1990 Miami, Fla.-born Patricia Cornwell (Patricia Carroll Daniels) (1956-) pub. Postmortem, a bestseller introducing medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, launching the morgue novel genre; rejected by seven pub. houses before Avon Books takes a chance on it; first novel to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards in a single year.

Frank Chin (1940-)

In 1991 Berkeley, Calif.-born Frank Chin (1940-) pub. his first novel Donald Duk; a young boy in San Francisco's Chinatown is embarrassed by his Chinese heritage until he learns about the transcontinental railroad workers. In 1994 he pub. Gunga Din Highway.

Bruce Alan Wagner (1954-)

In 1991 Madison, Wisc.-born Bruce Alan Wagner (1954-) pub. his first novel Force Majeure, a black novel about Hollyweird, "A dreary industrial town controlled by hoodlums of enormous wealth" (S.J. Perelman), starring failed Jewish screenwriter Bud Wiggins. In 1996 he pub. I'm Losing You; first in the Cellular Trilogy, incl. I'll Let You Go (2002), Still Holding (2003). In 2005 he pub. The Chrysanthemum Palace. In 2006 he pub. Memorial.

Donna Tartt (1963-)

In Sept. 1992 Greenwood, Miss.-born Donna Tartt (1963-) pub. her first novel The Secret History, which becomes a bestseller; about six classics students at Hampden College in Vt. (based on her alma mater Bennington College), incl. Richard Papen, who narrates the story of the murder of Edmund "Bunny" Corcoran. On Oct. 22, 2002 she pub. The Little Friend; young Harriet Cleve Dufresnes in 1970s Miss., whose 9-y.-o. brother Robin is killed by hanging in 1964. On Sept. 23, 2013 she pub. the NYT bestseller The Goldfinch (Le Chardonneret) (Pulitzer Prize); 13-y.-o. Theodore Decker survives a terrorist bombing at MoMA, where he loses his mother, taking her favorite, a Dutch Golden Age painting by Carel Fabritius with him and ending up living with a wealthy family friend Andy Barbour's family before being taken by his deadbeat dad to Las Vegas and going wild; 2013 Amazon Best Book of the Year: polarizes lit. critics; "A great bewitching novel" (Le Monde); "A children's book for adults" (London Review of Books); "No amount of straining for high-flown uplift can disguise the fact that The Goldfinch is a turkey" (The Sunday Times of London).

Rita Dove (1952-)

In 1992 Akron, Ohio-born poet Rita Francis Dove (1952-) pub. her first novel Through the Ivory Gate. In 1993-5 she becomes the first African-Am. and youngest U.S. poet laureate.

E. Annie Proulx (1935-)

In 1992 Norwich, Conn.-born Edna Annie Proulx (1935-) pub. her first novel Postcards, about rural postwar New England. In 1994 she pub. The Shipping News (Pulitzer Prize)(; Quoyle moves from New York to Newfoundland to find peace and overcome his fear of drowning, and finds out everybody's dirty little secrets; filmed in 2002. On Oct. 13, 1997 she pub. a short story in the New Yorker, which becomes the basis of the 2005 film Brokeback Mountain.

Barbara Ehrenreich (1941-)

In 1993 Butte, Mont.-born feminist writer Barbara Ehrenreich (1941-) pub. her first novel Kipper's Game.

John Berendt (1939-) James Arthur Williams (1930-90)

In 1994 Syracuse, N.Y.-born John Berendt (1939-) pub. his first novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, about the eccentricities of Savannah, Ga.; it sells 2.7M hardback copies in four years on the bestseller lists; filmed in 1997. On May 2, 1981 in Savannah, Ga. antiques dealer and home restorer James Arthur "Jim" Williams (1930-90) shoots and kills his younger redneck boyfriend asst. Danny Lewis Hansford, becoming the first in Ga. to be tried 4x for the same crime; the novel is based on this event. In 2005 he pub. The City of Falling Angels, about Venice since the last opera house burned down in 1996.

Jonathan Lethem (1964-)

In 1994 Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Jonathan Allen Lethem (1964-) pub. his first novel Gun, with Occasional Music, about Oakland dick Conrad Metcalf. In 1995 he pub. Amnesia Moon. In 1996 he pub. As She Climbed Across the Table; In 1997 he pub. As She Climbed Across the Table. In 1998 he pub. Girl in Landscape. In 1999 he pub. Motherless Brooklyn; Lionel Essrog, a P.I. with Tourette's syndrome. In 2000 he pub. This Shape We're In. On Dec. 31, 2003 he pub. The Fortress of Solitude. In 2005 he pub. The Disappointment Artist. In 2007 he pub. You Don't Love Me Yet; a struggling L.A. rock band. In 2009 he pub. Chronic City; Chase Insteadman in Manhattan is engaged to stranded astronaut Janice Trumbull; Perkus Tooth.

Anchee Min (1957-)

In 1994 Shanghai-born Anchee Min (1957-) pub. Red Azalea (autobio.). In 1995 she pub. her first novel Katherine. In 2001 she pub. Becoming Madame Mao. In 2002 she pub. Wild Ginger. In 2004 she pub. The Empress Orchid; concubine Orchid rises to become Empress Cixi (Tzu Hsi) (1835-1908), mother of the last emperor of China. In 2007 she pub. The Last Empress; sequel to "The Empress Orchid".

Steven Pressfield (1943-)

In 1995 Trinidad-born Steven Pressfield (1943-) pub. The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life, about Bobby Jones vs. Walter Hagen in 1931 Savannah, Ga., spiced up by inviting local hero Rannulph Junah, who lost his game in WWI, but is saved by mysterious black caddy you know who, who counsels him to look for his Authentic Swing; based on the Bhagavad Ghita (Vance is Bhagavan the Supreme Being, Junuh is master archer Arjuna); filmed in 2000. In 1998 he pub. Gates of Fire, about the 480 B.C.E. Battle of Thermopylae. In 2000 he pub. Tides of War: A Novel of Alcibiades and the Pelopponesian War. In 2002 he pub. Last of the Amazons; King Thesus of Athens sails to their island. In 2006 he pub. The Afghan Campaign; Alexander the Great in 330 B.C.E. In 2008 he pub. Killing Rommel.

Rebecca Wells (1953-)

On May 22, 1996 Alexandria, La.-born Rebecca Wells (1953-) pub. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, about Vivian "Vivi" Abbott Walker, Aimee Malissa "Teensy" Whitman-Claiborne, Caroline Eliza "Caro" Bennett-Brester, and Denise Rose "Necie" Kelleher-Ogden, who met as little girls in 1930, and Vivi's play dir. daughter Siddalee "Sidda" Walker, who falls out with her mother until she receives their scrapbook titled you know what. She follows it with Ya-Yas in Bloom (2005), and The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder (2009).

George R.R. Martin (1948-)

On Aug. 6, 1996 Bayonne, N.J.-born "American Tolkien" George Raymond Richard Martin (1948-) pub. his 7th novel A Game of Thrones, #1 of 7 of the epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire", based on the Wars of the Roses, about the War of the Five Kings in the continents of Westeros and Essos (to the E), the Seven Kingdoms, the Wall and its Night's Watch, the wildings, wights, Others, and Targaryens, followed by A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), and A Dance with Dragons (2011); Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark of Winterfell Castle, his wife Catelyn, his sons Bran, Robb, and Rickon, daughters Sansa and Arya, and bastard son Jon Snow: Lord John Arryn and his widow Lysa; twins Queen Cersei and Jaime, her twin brother Jaime Lannister and dwarf brother Tyrion Lannister (son of Tywin Lannister); King Robert Baratheon, his brothers Renly and Stannis, and son Joffrey; Viserys Targaryen and his sister Daenerys, Princess of Dragonstone, AKA Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains; Jon Snow, Bastard of Winterfell, illegitimate son of Eddard Stark, and his legitimate daughters (by Catelyn Stark of House Tully) Sansa Stark and Arya Stark; Petyr Baelish AKA Littlefinger; Varys, Master of Secrets; Lord Hoster Tully; Night's Watchmen Will, Samwell Tarly, Lord Cmdr. Jeor Mormong, Benjen, and Mance Rayder; Jorah Mormong; Olenna Tyrell (nee Redwyne), Queen of Thorns; basis of the HBO series "Game of Thrones" (2011-).

Nicholas Sparks (1965-)

In Oct. 1996 Omaha, Neb.-born Nicholas Charles Sparks (1965-) pub. his first novel The Notebook. On Apr. 1, 1998 he pub. Message in a Bottle; filmed in 1999. On Oct. 7, 1999 he pub. A Walk to Remember. In Sept. 2000 he pub. The Rescue. In Sept. 2001 he pub. A Bend in the Road. In Sept. 2002 he pub. Nights in Rodanthe. In Apr. 2003 he pub. The Guardian (Apr.); in Sept. he pub. The Wedding. In Apr. 2004 he pub. Three Weeks with My Brother; they lose both parents and their sister then go on a trip. In Apr. 2005 he pub. True Believer; in Oct. he pub. At First Sight. In Oct. 2006 he pub. Dear John. In Sept. 2007 he pub. The Choice. On Sept. 30, 2008 he pub. The Lucky One; Logan Thibault of the USMC looks for a woman whose picture brings him good luck. In Sept. 2009 he pub. The Last Song.

Mitch Albom (1958-)

In 1996 Passaic, N.J.-born Mitchell David "Mitch" Albom (1958-) pub. his first novel Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lessons, which sells 14M copies; life-death discussions with sociology prof. Morrie Schwartz, who suffers from ALS. In 2004 he pub. The Five People You Meet in Heaven; Eddie finds that heaven is where you reveal the haunting secrets behind the meaning of life. In 2006 he pub. For One More Day.

Mary Doria Russell (1950-)

In 1996 Chicago, Ill.-born Catholic-to-Jewish convert Mary Doria Russell (1950-) pub. her first novel The Sparrow, followed by Children of God (1998), about first contact with aliens along with the idea of a benevolent deity in a Universe filled with evil and pain.

Charles Frazier (1950-)

In 1997 Asheville, N.C.-born Charles Frazier (1950-) pub. his first novel Cold Mountain, an epic love story between Confederate soldier deserter Will Inman and Claire; filmed in 2006. In 2006 he pub. the sequel Thirteen Moons, about orphaned Will Cooper and the Cherokee Trail of Tears; Random House outbids Grove Atlantic $8M to $6M for the rights. In 2007 he pub. Thirteen Moons, about the destruction of the Cherokee Nation by Pres. Andy Jackson.

Chuck Palahniuk (1962-)

In 1997 Pasco, Wash.-born Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk (1962-) pub. Fight Club, about a a messianic figure who founds a club for people to fight each other, turning it into a sinister cult. In Feb. 1999 he pub. Survivor, about Tender Branson, last member of the death cult Creedish Church; in Sept. he pub. Invisible Monsters, about Shannon and Brandy, a pre-op transsexual.

T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-) 'Five Smooth Stones' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'Isnt Jack in Jail?' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'Tegeena: Warrior Priestess' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'The Incredible Billion Dollar Geek' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'Interdimensional Clownz' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'Schwarzen Auger: Dark Eyes of Evil' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'Space Reachers 2999' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1998 'Anti-World War I' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1999 'Dork Dick' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1999 'Horror High School' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1999 'Young Howard' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 1999 'Falling Off Point Mugu' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 2000 'Baby Boom Morticians' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 2000 'Salvation Day: The Immortality Device' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 2000 'Rock and Roll Corerunner' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 2000 'The Ice Cream Man' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 2000 'Salvation Day: The Fire of Michael' by T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-), 2001

In 1998 Denver, Colo.-born T.L. Winslow (TLW) (1953-) begins his career as a fiction author, intending to initiate a new age of lit., producing the following novels this year: Five Smooth Stones (first novel) (how Islam destroys the West); Isn't Jack in Jail? (pub. under alias Hamda Lindleton) (how lesbianism inevitably takes over the world); Tegeena: Warrior Priestess (the truth about how women were squeezed out of male supremacist religion); The Incredible Billion Dollar Geek (Roman a clef); Interdimensional Clownz (the truth about clownophobia AKA clourophobia); Schwarzen Auger: Dark Eyes of Evil (the Schwarzenegger eugenics Fourth Reich conspiracy); Space Reachers 2999 (why Star Trek sucks); TLW decides he's such a phenom he can bypass the traditional publishing industry and self-publish e-books and distribute them on the Web, which will take years to ramp up but he's got plenty of time and has a list of 500 novels on the drawing boards. In 1999 he pub. Anti-World War I (the ultimate victory for Americanism, and the price paid); Dork Dick (a computer crime detective and his hangups about Bill Gates); Horror High School (the real truth behind U.S. high school shootings?); Young Howard (a lost autobio. of a famed shock jock is found). In 2000 he pub. Falling Off Point Mugu (how an airplane crash convolves with the crash of the mighty U.S.); Baby Boom Morticians (the ultimate end of U.S. Baby Boomers); Salvation Day: The Immortality Device (the truth about the Shroud of Turin); Rock and Roll Corerunner (the face of war in the 22nd cent.); The Ice Cream Man (an Am. ice cream truck driver's big summer). In 2001 he pub. Salvation Day II: The Fire of Michael. Too bad, when 9/11 hits and he realizes that he could be taken out at any moment, he has to shelve his lit. career to get real and work full-time on the Great Track of Time, which had only been a hobby until then. Any major publisher is free to contact me about publishing my entire backlist as long as you do all the work.

Daniel Handler (1970-)

In 1999 San Francisco, Calif.-born Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) (1970-) pub. Bad Beginning, first in "A Series of Unfortunate Events", about the Baudelaire orphans Violet, Klaus and Sunny, whoss parents and spacious home were destroyed in a cataclysmic fire by evil Count Olaf, their designated caretaker, who is after their fortune; Carmelita "cakesniffer" Spats, former "tap-dancing ballerina fairy princess veterinarian" turned "ballplaying cowboy superhero soldier pirate"; Lucky Smells Lumber Mill, Anxious Clown Restaurant, vice-principal Nero. On Oct. 13, 2006 (Fri.) he pub. The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events #13).

Dan Brown (1964-)

In 2000 after vacationing in Tahiti in 1994 and reading Sidney Sheldon's "Doomsday Conspiracy", beginning "to suspect that maybe I could write a 'thriller' of this type one day", Exter, N.H.-born Daniel "Dan" Brown (1964-) son of Phillips Exeter Academy math prof. Richard G. Brown and musician Constance Brown), educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and Amherst College pub. Angels and Demons, about how the Illuminati are real and out ta getchya, introducing Harvard U. prof. Robert Langdon; filmed in 2009. Pass the cilice, Mother T? On Mar. 18, 2003 (two days after the U.S. invades Iraq) he pub. The Da Vinci Code; 10K advance copies and 230K initial press run; 23,578 sold the first week, making #1 on the NYT bestseller list ("the novel that ate the world"); "Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery" (first line); "O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint!"; "So dark the con of man"; "In London lies a knight a pope interred/ His labor's fruit a Holy wrath incurred/ You seek the orb that ought be on his tomb/ It speaks of Rosy flesh and seeded womb"; "The Holy Grail 'neath ancient Roslin waits/ The blade and chalice guarding o'er Her gates/ She rests at last beneath the starry skies"; Harris Tweed-loving Harvard U. religious symbology prof. Robert Langdon (language don?), Capt. Bezu Fache (busy fish?) and Lt. Jerome Collet (roam around and collate his boss' microfiche?) of the DCPJ, Jacques Sauniere (saner?) of the Louvre, "Princess" Sophie (Sofia) Neveu (renovate?) alias St. Clair (not Plantard), monk Silas (Sauniere's Judas?) and Bishop Manuel Aringarosa (ring around the rosey?) of Opus Dei (which has only lay members?), Andre Vernet (wears vernier Rolex timepieces?) of the Depository Bank of Zurich, Sir Leigh Teabing (Sir Lipton tea bag?) alias the Teacher at Chateau Villette (1668) and his manservant Remy Legaludec (legal duke?) from Lyons and his Medusa revolver, the Da Vinci cryptex with password SOFIA, er, APPLE, fleur de lis, PHI, Amon L'Isa, 325 Council of Nicea, security warden Claude Grouard (guard?), Pamela Gettum (I'll get um for ya?) of King's College library, Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris with the first Rose Line and Sister Sandrine Bieil (bee eye?), Vatican Biblioteca Astronomica, Gare Saint-Lazre train station, 24 Rue Haxo and the Bois de Boulogne ("garden of earthly delights"), Friday the 13th of Oct. 1307, Leonardo da Vinci (always called Leonardo, never da Vinci?) and his Vitruvian Man, Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks and skitoma-filled Last Supper, Sofia, 1099 Priory of Sion and Godefroi de Bouillon, Pentacle of Venus and Hieros Gamos, Dead Sea Scrolls, Sang Real not San Greal, Mary Magdalene of the tribe of Benjamin and Jesus of the House of David equals unbelievable; Atbash cipher and Sheshach alias Babel, Sir Isaac Newton and Alexander Pope, 1185 London Temple Church and 1065 Westminster Abbey with College Garden and octagonal Chapter House, 1446 Rosslyn Chapel (Cathedral of Codes) with the Boaz and Jachin pillars, Fibonacci sequence 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5; "Yo soy un espectro" (Silas) (p. 56); starting with Ch. 58 the book gets rather preachy?; "Leonardo was one of the keepers of the secret of the Holy Grail. And he hid clues in his art" (Teabing) (p. 230); "Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false... More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, among them... The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great... a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed, too weak to protest" (Teabing) (pp. 230-1); "At this gathering many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon - the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of sacraments, and of course, the divinity of Jesus... Until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet... a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless.... Jesus' establishment as 'the son of God' was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea... A relatively close vote at that"; "It was all about power... Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power" (Teabing) (p. 233); "The twist is this... Because Constantine upgraded Jesus' status almost four centuries after Jesus' death, thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, Constantine knew he would need a bold stroke. From this sprang the most profound moment in Christian history... Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ's human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned" (Teabing) (p. 234); "Fortunately for historians... some of the gospels that Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive... the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert. And, of course, the Coptic Scrolls in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. In addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms. Of course, the Vatican, in keeping with their tradition of misinformation, tried very hard to suppress the release of these scrolls. And why wouldn't they? The scrolls highlight glaring historical discrepancies and fabrications, clearly confirming that the modern Bible was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda - to promote the divinity of the man Jesus Christ and use His influence to solidify their own power base" (Teabing) (p. 234); "The Grail... is symbolic of the lost goddess. When Christianity came along, the old pagan religions did not die easily. Legends of chivalric quests for the lost Grail were in fact stories of forbidden quests to find the lost sacred feminine. Knights who claimed to be 'searching for the chalice' were seaking in code as a way to protect themselves from a Church that had subjugated women, banished the Goddess, burned nonbelievers, and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine" (Langdon) (pp. 238-9); "It was not Peter to whom Christ gave directions with which to establish the Christian Church. It was Mary Magdalene... Jesus was the original feminist. He intended for the future of His Church to be in the hands of Mary Magdalene" (Teabing) (p. 248); "Behold the greatest cover-up in human history. Not only was Jesus Christ married, but He was a father. My dear, Mary Magdalene was the Holy Vessel. She was the chalice that bore the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ. She was the womb that bore the lineage, and the vine from which the sacred fruit sprang forth" (Teabing) (p. 249); becomes bestselling adult novel of all time (60M by 2006), spawning the new genre of fractured history written at the 8th grade level for the history-starved masses ("You don't hate history, you just hate your own history"?) spoon-fed during a ridiculous murder adventure; milks the fallacy of the evil albino, the fallacy of the talking killer, and the fallacy of the Bride of Christ not being his Church but his hot freckled red-haired bunkbunny Mary Magdalene, whose DNA (check out that melanocritia-1 receptor?) is more valuable than weapons-grade plutonium?; the best hook is the novel's opening: "FACT... All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate", spawning the Anti-Da Vinci Code Industry; "Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?" (1 Cor. 9:5). Followed by The Lost Symbol (2009), Inferno (2013) (film version released on Oct. 28, 2016).

Ann Brashares (1967-)

In 2001 Alexandria, Va.-born Ann Brashares (1967-) pub. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, about best friends Lena Kaligaris, Tibby Rollins, Bridget Vreeland, and Carmen Lowell, who spend their first summer apart when a pair of magical jeans comes into their lives; first in a series.

Sue Monk Kidd (1948-)

In 2002 Sylvester, Ga.-born Sue Monk Kidd (1948-) pub. her first novel The Secret Life of Bees, set in 1964 during the passage of the U.S. Civil Rights Act; filmed in 2008. In 2005 she pub. The Mermaid Chair.

Michael Punke (1964-)

In 2002 Torrington, Wyo.-born Michael Punke (1964-) pub. The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge; Am. frontiersman Hugh Glass in 1823 Missouri Territory is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his companions, causing him to go on a revenge tour; filmed in 2015 by Alejandro G. Inarritu.

Brad Thor (1969-)

In 2002 Chicago, Ill.-born Brad Thor (1969-) pub. his first novel The Lions of Lucerne, about ex-Navy SEAL Secret Service agent Scot Harvath, who rescues the U.S. pres. after he is kidnapped. He follows with Path of the Assassin (2003), State of the Union (2004), Blowback (2005), Takedown (2006), The First Commandment (2007), and The Last Patriot (2008), a #1 NYT bestseller about counterterrorism agent Scot Harvath, who uncovers a big secret about Muhammad via clues left by Thomas Jefferson; pisses-off Muslin convert (ex-Richard Nixon aide) Robert D. Crane for "Islamophobia", causing Glenn Beck to predict that he might be assassinated by Muslim extremists, and the WorldNetDaily to call him "the new Salman Rushdie"; banned in Saudi Arabia, making it more popular? He follows with The Apostle (2009), Foreign Influence (2010), The Athena Project (2010), Full Black (2011), and Black List (2012).

Steve Berry (1955-)

On Aug. 26, 2003 after 12 years and 85 rejections, Am. atty.-novelist Steve Berry (1955-) pub. The Amber Room, about Judge Rachel Cutler and her divorced hubby Paul, who hunt for the Amber Room of the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, Russia, which disappeared in 1945, launching his bestselling historical adventure novel career (18M copies).

Stephenie Meyer (1973-)

On Oct. 5, 2005 Hartford, Conn.born Stephenie Meyer (nee Morgan) (1973-) pub. her first novel (bestseller) Twilight; (original title "Forks), first of bestselling trilogy about high school girl Isabella "Bella" Swan, who moves from Phoenix, Ariz., to Forks, Wash. and falls in love with 103-y.-o. vampire Edward Cullen; discovered in a slush pile at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, launching her career as the next J.K. Rowling, with her Twilight Series going on to sell 160M+ copies; too bad, critics pan her bad writing style compared to Rowling's.

Lauren Weisberger (1977-)

Oct Oct. 6, 2003 after working as Anna Wntour's asst. at Vogue for 10 mo., Scranton, Penn.-born Lauren Weisberger (1977-) pub. her first novel The Devil Wears Prada, a bestselling roman a clef about Vogue mag. ed.-in-chief (since 1988) Lady Anna Wintour (1949-) by her former asst. for 10 mo.; 23-y.-o. Brown U. grad. Andrea Sachs becomes asst. to Miranda Priestly of Runway Mag. (who fiendishly wears her Prada), and quits 1 mo. short of her 1-year goal; filmed in 2006 starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt; followed by "Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns" (2013).

Elizabeth Kostova (1964-)

In 2005 Elizabeth Kostova (1964-) pub. her first novel The Historian; is Vlad III Dracula the Impaler (1431-71) still alive?; Little, Brown & Co. pays $2M for it, and it sells 500K copies by Dec. 2005; parallel account of historian Paul in the 1950s, his daughter in 1972-3, and his mentor Bartholomew Rossi in 1930.

In 2007 the Year of the Pensive Woman Cover (PWC) sees the rush to service the market for historical novels created by Dan Brown and Elizabeth Kostova combined with a near-monopoly in book publishing and herd animal thinking, resulting in monotonously similar book covers rushing toward an identity crisis on bookstore shelves?

Suzanne Collins (1962-)

In 2008 Hartford, Conn.-born Suzanne Collins (1962-) pub. the bestseller (1.5M copies) The Hunger Games; 16-y.-o. Katniss Everdeen lives in Panem over the ruins of North Am., ruled by the Capitol, which holds an annual event where a boy and girl ages 12-18 from each of the 12 districts are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death; filmed in 2012; first of the Hunger Games Trilogy, incl. Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay.

Horace Engdahl (1948-)

On Sept. 30, 2008 Swedish critic Horace Oscar Axel Endahl (1948-) top member of the Nobel Lit. Prize award jury utters the soundbyte that it's no coincidence that most winners are Euros, because "You can't get away from the fact that Europe still is the center of the literary world... not the United States", which is "too isolated, too insular. They don't translate enough and don't really participate in the big dialog of literature"; New Yorker ed. David Remnick responds that the Swedish Academy "has historically overlooked Proust, Joyce, and Nabokov... spare us the categorical lectures", and drops the names of Philip Roth (1933-2018), John Updike (1932-2009), and Don DeLillo (1936-); Nat. Book Awards dir. Harold Augenbraum adds that he'd like to send the bum a reading list of U.S. lit.

Anthony Doerr (1973-)

On May 6, 2014 Columbus, Ohio-born Anthony Doerr (1973-) pub. the NYT bestseller All the Light We Cannot See (Pulitzer Prize), about blind French girl Marie-Laure LeBlanc and German soldier Werner Pfennig in Saint-Malo in occupied France in 1944, and the priceless cursed Sea of Flames diamond.




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