We were lucky to have been young readers during what I believe was the high-water mark of children's literature. I too was a voracious reader from a very young age. I wonder how I would have ever survived a miserable childhood if I could not escape into a good book. It has been a lifelong method of escape for me. I too love the smell of books. To enter a room in an old house filled with old books is like entering into an Aladdin's cave. I stopped reading fiction at about age 17, but when I got into my thirties I started buying my childhood favorites...and I still read them. It's like comfort food for the mind.
When I was a child, I thought if you had a book published you had to be rich and famous (ha ha ha). Now the writers I loved are all but forgotten, and don't even rate a wikipedia page. Between age eleven and fourteen, I would write and sometimes illustrate books and send them off to publishers...of course never having a clue what a waste of time and effort it all was. At least they took the time to put my manuscripts in the SASE I had included, and drop it in the outgoing mail box. I doubt they would bother these days. But then, these days I could publish my own books, if I had a supporter.
I think our childhood era was the highwater mark for the publishing industry in general. Lots of good short story writers, with their work appearing in many different magazines. If you were published then, I think the book sold far better on average than now. It is sad that so many are forgotten, as I noted about my favorite Edward Eager, about whom very little information exists. I too sometimes still read a childhood favorite. Calling it comfort food for the mind is a perfect way to describe it. Thanks, Kris!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful article. I love hearing what books people have read and liked. I love to read, it is one of my great escapes. You brought back so many nice memories; I loved the Nancy Drew mysteries books (not so much The Hardy Boys, but I did read a few of them)
I love Hitchcock, all his movies, short stories, even his hour long series that was on in the 1960s, I still watch the reruns on Roku streaming service.
Maybe you could do an update to this article and discuss some of the books you have liked as an adult. I am always looking for new reads!!
That's a good idea, Robin. I had a few Nancy Drew books as well. I think the same person wrote most of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. I enjoyed the series of Nancy Drew movies from the 1930s that starred Bonita Granville. Thanks!
I have been reading Lew Rockwell articles randomly for a couple years now. I am not sure if I've read any of yours until now, but I see your writing influences are similar to mine. I also am a writer as well as adjunct professor until I was cancelled out of our queue at Northern Michigan University. I haven't gotten my blogging going really yet since I was caring for my father in a long term illness, but am working on my third novel. I was published a lot in literary publications until I couldn't hide my libertarian ISH leanings anymore and was excommunicated from the Michigan literary community. And my last publisher at Wayne State U. Ha.
I'll subscribe. I'm careful who I spend $5/month on--Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald and Dr. Malone, Alex Berensen (no guinea pig experiments for me).
I am working on this time travel/dream/alternate universe thing I hope crosses over some from literary to commercial, so your interests interest me! (Just finished reading Time Traveler's Wife, which has some weirdly synchronistic stuff in it for my project). And I'm hoping more commercial publishers might not cancel me out of the shoot. I think I'll try for an agent first. I have one more revision going.
Hope this posts before I pay!
I think it will be worth the $5. I have not been charging anyone yet because I'm not posting regularly enough!
The Hardy Boys but no Tom Swift? Honestly, that’s the only series of books that I recall reading as a kiddo. Started me down the path of science fiction.
Another excellent piece of writing Don. I'm really looking forward to your new book - I've preordered already. Keep up the great work my friend.
Thank you, my friend!
We were lucky to have been young readers during what I believe was the high-water mark of children's literature. I too was a voracious reader from a very young age. I wonder how I would have ever survived a miserable childhood if I could not escape into a good book. It has been a lifelong method of escape for me. I too love the smell of books. To enter a room in an old house filled with old books is like entering into an Aladdin's cave. I stopped reading fiction at about age 17, but when I got into my thirties I started buying my childhood favorites...and I still read them. It's like comfort food for the mind.
When I was a child, I thought if you had a book published you had to be rich and famous (ha ha ha). Now the writers I loved are all but forgotten, and don't even rate a wikipedia page. Between age eleven and fourteen, I would write and sometimes illustrate books and send them off to publishers...of course never having a clue what a waste of time and effort it all was. At least they took the time to put my manuscripts in the SASE I had included, and drop it in the outgoing mail box. I doubt they would bother these days. But then, these days I could publish my own books, if I had a supporter.
I think our childhood era was the highwater mark for the publishing industry in general. Lots of good short story writers, with their work appearing in many different magazines. If you were published then, I think the book sold far better on average than now. It is sad that so many are forgotten, as I noted about my favorite Edward Eager, about whom very little information exists. I too sometimes still read a childhood favorite. Calling it comfort food for the mind is a perfect way to describe it. Thanks, Kris!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful article. I love hearing what books people have read and liked. I love to read, it is one of my great escapes. You brought back so many nice memories; I loved the Nancy Drew mysteries books (not so much The Hardy Boys, but I did read a few of them)
I love Hitchcock, all his movies, short stories, even his hour long series that was on in the 1960s, I still watch the reruns on Roku streaming service.
Maybe you could do an update to this article and discuss some of the books you have liked as an adult. I am always looking for new reads!!
Thanks
That's a good idea, Robin. I had a few Nancy Drew books as well. I think the same person wrote most of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. I enjoyed the series of Nancy Drew movies from the 1930s that starred Bonita Granville. Thanks!
I have been reading Lew Rockwell articles randomly for a couple years now. I am not sure if I've read any of yours until now, but I see your writing influences are similar to mine. I also am a writer as well as adjunct professor until I was cancelled out of our queue at Northern Michigan University. I haven't gotten my blogging going really yet since I was caring for my father in a long term illness, but am working on my third novel. I was published a lot in literary publications until I couldn't hide my libertarian ISH leanings anymore and was excommunicated from the Michigan literary community. And my last publisher at Wayne State U. Ha.
I'll subscribe. I'm careful who I spend $5/month on--Matt Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald and Dr. Malone, Alex Berensen (no guinea pig experiments for me).
I am working on this time travel/dream/alternate universe thing I hope crosses over some from literary to commercial, so your interests interest me! (Just finished reading Time Traveler's Wife, which has some weirdly synchronistic stuff in it for my project). And I'm hoping more commercial publishers might not cancel me out of the shoot. I think I'll try for an agent first. I have one more revision going.
Hope this posts before I pay!
I think it will be worth the $5. I have not been charging anyone yet because I'm not posting regularly enough!
Happy Saturday, Donald. I'll look into your work.
I very much appreciate that, Lekimball. I can imagine your views would not be looked upon with tolerance at any of our universities. Thanks!
The Hardy Boys but no Tom Swift? Honestly, that’s the only series of books that I recall reading as a kiddo. Started me down the path of science fiction.
I had some Tom Swift books, too. But the Hardy Boys and Chip Hilton were my favorites. Thanks, G. Alan!