Allan W. Eckert
Allan Wesley Eckert | |
---|---|
Born | January 30, 1931 Buffalo, New York |
Died | July 7, 2011 Corona, California | (aged 80)
Occupation | Novelist and playwright |
Nationality | American |
Notable works | Incident at Hawk's Hill (1971)
Newbery Honor (1972) |
Allan Wesley Eckert (January 30, 1931 – July 7, 2011)
Eckert wrote several books of natural history. In addition, he wrote more than 225 episodes of
His numerous historical novels were popular, including several that were part of his series "The Winning of America". In 1996, one of them was adapted for the stage as 1913: The Great Dayton Flood and premiered at
Biography
Eckert was born in
As a young man, he hitchhiked around the United States, living off the land and learning about wildlife. He began writing about nature and American history at the age of thirteen. He eventually wrote numerous books for children and adults. His children's novel, Incident at Hawk's Hill, was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal in 1972.[3] One of his novels tells how the great auk became extinct.
Eckert published numerous novels of the Ohio Country frontier in what was called his "The Winning of America" series, including accounts of frontiersmen and notable Native Americans, such as Tecumseh. He conducted extensive research for his works, but inserted fictional dialogue for his historical figures.
Eckert also wrote several unproduced screenplays. He wrote more than 225 episodes of
In a 1999 poll conducted by the Ohioana Library Association, Eckert shared with Toni Morrison the accolade of "Favorite Ohio Writer of All Time."
Eckert died in his sleep on July 7, 2011, in Corona, California, at the age of 80.[1]
Dramatizations and adaptations
Eckert wrote the outdoor drama Tecumseh! which, in 1997, celebrated its 25th year of production at the multi-million-dollar Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheater near Chillicothe, Ohio. His 1968 children's novel Blue Jacket was adapted as a drama of the same name designed for outdoor performances. It opened in 1982 at a facility outside Xenia, Ohio. The production eventually closed due to financial difficulties, but it was estimated to have generated more than nine million dollars yearly into the local economy of southwest Ohio.[4]
Eckert's 1965 book A Time of Terror: The Great Dayton Flood was in 1996 adapted for the stage as 1913: The Great Dayton Flood by W. Stuart McDowell and Timothy Nevits. It was performed at
Criticism
While Eckert emphasized the historical basis of his books and stressed the years of research he conducted, he created dialogue and internal thought for his ostensibly historic figures. Reviewers have described his work as "an entertaining blend of fact and fiction."[7] What Eckert described as "narrative biography” was criticized by Kirkus Reviews as “an apparent euphemism for poetic license”, when discussing his book about Tecumseh.[8] A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh was described as "A biography that succeeds better as fiction".[8] The reviewer said that the book "in its interpretative zeal … strays from … the historical record to the point of being suspect".[8]
Bibliography
- ISBN 1-931672-16-4.
- ISBN 0-913428-02-7.
- ISBN 0-595-08963-1.
- The Writer's Digest Course in Short Story Writing; 1965.
- Wild Season; 1967; 1981 reprint edition, Landfall Press, ISBN 0-913428-31-0).
- ISBN 0-945084-91-9.
- ISBN 0-385-01101-6.
- The Crossbreed; 1968, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-595-08992-5.
- Blue Jacket: War Chief of the Shawnees; 1968; 2003 reprint edition, Jesse Stuart Foundation, ISBN 1-931672-20-2).
- The King Snake; (Juvenile natural history) 1968; 1990 reprint, Scholastic, ISBN 0-595-18006-X.
- The Dreaming Tree; 1968; 2000 paperback reprint edition, Backinprint.com, ISBN 0-595-08989-5.
- Wilderness Empire: A Narrative;1968; 2001 reprint edition, Jesse Stuart Foundation, ISBN 1-931672-02-4).
- In Search of a Whale; 1969, Doubleday, ISBN 0-385-03494-6.
- The Conquerors; 1970; 2002 reprint edition, Jesse Stuart Foundation, ISBN 1-931672-07-5).
- ISBN 0-316-20948-1).
- The Court-Martial of Daniel Boone; 1973, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-595-08990-9.
- The Owls of North America, North of Mexico: All the Species and Subspecies Illustrated in Color and Fully Described; 1973, Doubleday Books, ISBN 0-385-04818-1.
- Tecumseh!: A Play; 1975; 2000 paperback reprint edition, Backinprint.com, ISBN 0-595-08964-X.
- ISBN 0-595-00820-8.
- The Wilderness War, A Narrative; 1978; 2003 reprint edition, Jesse Stuart Foundation, ISBN 1-931672-14-8).
- The Wading Birds of North America: North of Mexico; 1978; 1987 reprint edition, Gramercy, ISBN 0-517-63229-2.
- Savage Journey: A Novel"; (Juvenile literature); 1979, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-595-18171-6.
- Song of the Wild; (Juvenile literature); 1980, Little Brown & Co., ISBN 0-595-08991-7.
- Whattizzit Nature Pun Quizzes; (booklet) 1981, Landfall Press, ISBN 0-913428-30-2.
- Gateway to Empire; 1982, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-553-24118-4.
- Johnny Logan: Shawnee Spy: A Novel; 1982, Little Brown & Co, ISBN 0-595-16763-2.
- Wilderness Empire, Number 2; 1982, Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-22651-7.
- The Dark Green Tunnel; (Juvenile fantasy); 1983, Little Brown & Co., ISBN 0-595-08962-3.
- The Wand: The Return to Mesmeria; (Juvenile fantasy) 1984, Little Brown & Co, ISBN 0-595-18325-5.
- The Scarlet Mansion; 1985, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-595-08988-7.
- Earth Treasures Volume 1: the Northeastern Quadrant; 1985; 2000 paperback reprint edition, Backinprint.com, ISBN 0-595-08958-5.
- Earth Treasures Volume 2: the Southeastern Quadrant; 1985; 2000 paperback reprint edition, Backinprint.com, ISBN 0-595-08959-3.
- Earth Treasures Volume 3: the Northwestern Quadrant; 1986; 2000 paperback reprint edition, Backinprint.com, ISBN 0-595-08960-7.
- Earth Treasures Volume 4A: the Southwestern Quadrant; 1987; 2000 paperback reprint edition, Backinprint.com, ISBN 0-595-08961-5.
- Twilight Of Empire; 1988, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-553-28059-7.
- A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh; 1992, Bantam Books, ISBN 0-8317-5817-1.
- That Dark and Bloody River: Chronicles of the Ohio River Valley; 1995, Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-37865-1).
- The World of Opals; 1997, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-13397-3.
- Return to Hawk's Hill; 1998, Little Brown & Company, ISBN 0-316-00689-0).
- Dark Journey: The Tragedy of the Donner Party; 2009, Jesse Stuart Foundation, ISBN 978-1-931672-53-5
References
- ^ a b "Allan Eckert, who penned the story that became 'Tecumseh!', has died". Chillicothe Gazette. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
- ^ ""Tecumseh!" ...Outdoor Drama - Chillicothe, Ohio". Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ "Newbery Awards". Retrieved May 15, 2012.
- ^ "Blue Jacket puts $9 million yearly into Greene County economy, Helen Bebbington, The Dayton Daily News, June 12, 2003.
- ^ This production was documented in 1997 reprint edition of A Time of Terror: The Great Dayton Flood, Landfall Press, 1997.
- ^ Program of the XXIX American College Theatre Festival, January 2009, p. 60.
- ^ Publishers Weekly review (1992) of A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh.
- ^ a b c Review of A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh (1991), Kirkus Reviews
External links
- Official website
- Allan W. Eckert at Library of Congress, with 46 library catalog records