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Wikipedia

John Jakes

March 02, 2023

John William Jakes (born March 31, 1932)[1] is an American writer, best known for American historical and speculative fiction. His Civil War trilogy, North and South, has sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also the author of The Kent Family Chronicles. He has used the pen name Jay Scotland.

John Jakes
BornJohn William Jakes
(1932-03-31) March 31, 1932 (age 90)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Pen nameJay Scotland
OccupationWriter
NationalityAmerican
Period1950–present
GenreHistorical novels, fantasy, science fiction
Notable works
SpouseRachel (m. 1951)
Children4

Early life and education

Jakes was born in Chicago, Illinois.[2] He first sold stories to pulp magazines while still in college in the early 1950s.[3] Jakes studied creative writing at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, graduating in 1953. He then earned an M.A. in American literature from Ohio State University. He and Rachel, to whom had been married for 13 months at the time, appeared on the game show Beat the Clock on August 23, 1952. Although they failed to complete the Bonus Round, Rachel won a Sylvania "Jefferson" 20" screen television set.[4] In 1961, Jakes moved to Dayton, Ohio. He lived there for ten years and worked as a copywriter for several advertising agencies while he wrote fiction at night and on the weekends.[5] In 1971, he began to write full-time.

Writing career

 
Cover of Science Fiction Quarterly featuring John Jakes' "The Taint"

Thrilling Wonder Stories, edited by Sam Merwin, published two 1949–1950 letters from Jakes and two of his stories were published in pulp magazines edited by Howard Browne late in 1950, The Dreaming Trees (Fantastic Adventures, November) and "Your Number Is Up!" (Amazing Stories, December). Jakes sold his first short story (1,500 words) in 1950.[6]

ISFDB catalogs 28 more speculative fiction stories published 1951 to 1953.[7] Jakes published dozens of stories and several novels during the twenty years following completion of college, many of them fantasy fiction, science fiction and westerns and other sorts of historical fiction.

During this time, he was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), a loose-knit group of heroic fantasy authors founded in the 1960s and led by Lin Carter. The eight original members were self-selected by fantasy credentials alone. They sought to promote the popularity and respectability of the "Sword and Sorcery" subgenre (such as Brak the Barbarian stories by Jakes).

Jakes gained widespread popularity with the publication of his Kent Family Chronicles, which became a bestselling American Bicentennial Series of books in the mid to late 1970s,[2] selling 55 million copies. He has since published several more popular works of historical fiction, most dealing with American history, including the North and South trilogy about the U.S. Civil War, which sold 10 million copies and was adapted as an ABC-TV miniseries.

In 1988, Jakes' stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was first performed at his home theater on Hilton Head Island. It has since become popular for production by many universities and regional theaters, including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.[8]

In September 2013, Jakes was named a Florida Literary Legend at the Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference in St. Augustine, Florida.[9]

Personal

Jakes lives on Bird Key in Sarasota, Florida, with his wife, Rachel, to whom he has been married since 1951. They have four grown children: Andrea, Dr. Ellen, J. Michael, and Victoria.[9]

Works

Mainstream novels

The Kent Family Chronicles

Main article: The Kent Family Chronicles

The North and South trilogy

Main article: North and South (trilogy)

The Crown Family Saga

  • Homeland (1993)
  • American Dreams (1998)

Other

  • The Texans Ride North (1952)
  • A Night For Treason (1956)
  • Wear A Fast Gun (1956)
  • The Devil Has Four Faces (1958)
  • The Seventh Man (1958)
  • I, Barbarian (1959) (as Jay Scotland)
  • Johnny Havoc (1960)
  • Sir Scoundrel (1962) (as Jay Scotland)
  • Veils of Salome (1962)
  • Arena (1963) (as Jay Scotland)
  • Making It Big aka Johnny Havoc and the Siren in Red (1968)
  • On Wheels (1973)
  • California Gold (1989)
  • In The Big Country (1993), later reissued as The Bold Frontier (2001)
  • On Secret Service (2000)
  • Charleston (2002)
  • Savannah or a Gift for Mr. Lincoln (2004)
  • Funeral for Tanner Moody (with Elmer Kelton, Robert Randish) (2004)
  • The Gods of Newport (2006)

Science fiction and fantasy

 
The first Brak story, "Devils in the Walls", was originally published in Fantastic Stories in 1962. It was collected in The Fortunes of Brak.

Brak the Barbarian

  • Brak the Barbarian (1968)
  • Brak the Barbarian Versus the Sorceress (also published as "Witch of the Four Winds"(1969)
  • Brak the Barbarian Versus the Mark of the Demons (1969)
  • When the Idols Walked (1978) ISBN 0-671-81373-0
  • The Fortunes of Brak (1980)
  • Brak the Barbarian / Mark of the Demons (omnibus) (2012)
  • Witch of the Four Winds / When the Idols Walked (omnibus) (2012)

Dark Gate

  • Master of the Dark Gate (1970)
  • Witch of the Dark Gate (1972)

Dragonard

  • When The Star Kings Die (1967)
  • The Planet Wizard (1969)
  • Tonight We Steal the Stars (1969)

Planet of the Apes

  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Other novels

  • Secrets Of Stardeep (1969)
  • The Hybrid (1969)
  • The Last Magicians (1969)
  • The Asylum World (1969)
  • Mask of Chaos (1970)
  • Monte Cristo #99 (1970)
  • Six-Gun Planet (1970)
  • Black in Time (1970)
  • Time Gate (1972)
  • Mention My Name in Atlantis (1972)
  • On Wheels (1973)
  • Excalibur (1980) with Gil Kane

Collections

  • The Best of John Jakes (1977)

Children's books

  • Susanna of the Alamo (1986)

Nonfiction

  • Famous Firsts in Sports (1967)
  • Great War Correspondents (1967))
  • Great Women Reporters (1969)
  • Mohawk: The Life Of Joseph Brant (1969)

Plays

  • A Christmas Carol (1988)

Adaptations

The Bastard was adapted as a television mini-series by Universal Pictures Television as the first offering of the highly successful syndicated package, Operation Prime Time (1978). It was followed by The Rebels (1979) and The Seekers (1979). The North and South trilogy was made into three mini-series on ABC in the 1980s and 1990s.

References

  1. ^ "John Jakes". Contemporary Authors Online. May 15, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  2. ^ a b L. H. Whittemore (June 19, 1977). "Meet John Jakes: Instant Historian and Millionaire". Youngstown Vindicator. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  3. ^ "Author Jakes on top after long struggle". Sarasota Journal. May 26, 1977. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  4. ^ "BEAT THE CLOCK with Bud Collyer (Aug 23, 1952)". Archived from the original on December 12, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  5. ^ "Ohio Reading Road Trip | John Jakes Biography".
  6. ^ https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1458&context=cwbr[bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ John Jakes at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  8. ^ "John Jakes, the author of the Kent Family Chronicles, the Civil War saga the North and South Trilogy, and the Crown Family Saga. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide. - John Jakes".
  9. ^ a b "Tiptoeing toward Florida: Best-selling historical novelist John Jakes is named a Florida Literary Legend".

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to John Jakes.

March 02, 2023
john, jakes, john, william, jakes, born, march, 1932, american, writer, best, known, american, historical, speculative, fiction, civil, trilogy, north, south, sold, millions, copies, worldwide, also, author, kent, family, chronicles, used, name, scotland, born. John William Jakes born March 31 1932 1 is an American writer best known for American historical and speculative fiction His Civil War trilogy North and South has sold millions of copies worldwide He is also the author of The Kent Family Chronicles He has used the pen name Jay Scotland John JakesBornJohn William Jakes 1932 03 31 March 31 1932 age 90 Chicago Illinois United StatesPen nameJay ScotlandOccupationWriterNationalityAmericanPeriod1950 presentGenreHistorical novels fantasy science fictionNotable worksThe Kent Family Chronicles North and South trilogySpouseRachel m 1951 Children4 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Writing career 3 Personal 4 Works 4 1 Mainstream novels 4 1 1 The Kent Family Chronicles 4 1 2 The North and South trilogy 4 1 3 The Crown Family Saga 4 1 4 Other 4 2 Science fiction and fantasy 4 2 1 Brak the Barbarian 4 2 2 Dark Gate 4 2 3 Dragonard 4 2 4 Planet of the Apes 4 2 5 Other novels 4 2 6 Collections 4 3 Children s books 4 4 Nonfiction 4 5 Plays 5 Adaptations 6 References 7 External linksEarly life and education EditJakes was born in Chicago Illinois 2 He first sold stories to pulp magazines while still in college in the early 1950s 3 Jakes studied creative writing at DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana graduating in 1953 He then earned an M A in American literature from Ohio State University He and Rachel to whom had been married for 13 months at the time appeared on the game show Beat the Clock on August 23 1952 Although they failed to complete the Bonus Round Rachel won a Sylvania Jefferson 20 screen television set 4 In 1961 Jakes moved to Dayton Ohio He lived there for ten years and worked as a copywriter for several advertising agencies while he wrote fiction at night and on the weekends 5 In 1971 he began to write full time Writing career EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it April 2013 Cover of Science Fiction Quarterly featuring John Jakes The Taint Thrilling Wonder Stories edited by Sam Merwin published two 1949 1950 letters from Jakes and two of his stories were published in pulp magazines edited by Howard Browne late in 1950 The Dreaming Trees Fantastic Adventures November and Your Number Is Up Amazing Stories December Jakes sold his first short story 1 500 words in 1950 6 ISFDB catalogs 28 more speculative fiction stories published 1951 to 1953 7 Jakes published dozens of stories and several novels during the twenty years following completion of college many of them fantasy fiction science fiction and westerns and other sorts of historical fiction During this time he was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers Guild of America SAGA a loose knit group of heroic fantasy authors founded in the 1960s and led by Lin Carter The eight original members were self selected by fantasy credentials alone They sought to promote the popularity and respectability of the Sword and Sorcery subgenre such as Brak the Barbarian stories by Jakes Jakes gained widespread popularity with the publication of his Kent Family Chronicles which became a bestselling American Bicentennial Series of books in the mid to late 1970s 2 selling 55 million copies He has since published several more popular works of historical fiction most dealing with American history including the North and South trilogy about the U S Civil War which sold 10 million copies and was adapted as an ABC TV miniseries In 1988 Jakes stage adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol was first performed at his home theater on Hilton Head Island It has since become popular for production by many universities and regional theaters including the Alabama Shakespeare Festival 8 In September 2013 Jakes was named a Florida Literary Legend at the Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference in St Augustine Florida 9 Personal EditJakes lives on Bird Key in Sarasota Florida with his wife Rachel to whom he has been married since 1951 They have four grown children Andrea Dr Ellen J Michael and Victoria 9 Works EditMainstream novels Edit The Kent Family Chronicles Edit Main article The Kent Family Chronicles The Bastard 1974 Film adaptation The Bastard The Rebels 1975 Film adaptation The Rebels The Seekers 1975 Film adaptation The Seekers The Furies 1976 The Titans 1976 The Warriors 1977 The Lawless 1978 The Americans 1979 The North and South trilogy Edit Main article North and South trilogy North and South 1982 Love and War 1984 Heaven and Hell 1987 The Crown Family Saga Edit Homeland 1993 American Dreams 1998 Other Edit The Texans Ride North 1952 A Night For Treason 1956 Wear A Fast Gun 1956 The Devil Has Four Faces 1958 The Seventh Man 1958 I Barbarian 1959 as Jay Scotland Johnny Havoc 1960 Sir Scoundrel 1962 as Jay Scotland Veils of Salome 1962 Arena 1963 as Jay Scotland Making It Big aka Johnny Havoc and the Siren in Red 1968 On Wheels 1973 California Gold 1989 In The Big Country 1993 later reissued as The Bold Frontier 2001 On Secret Service 2000 Charleston 2002 Savannah or a Gift for Mr Lincoln 2004 Funeral for Tanner Moody with Elmer Kelton Robert Randish 2004 The Gods of Newport 2006 Science fiction and fantasy Edit The first Brak story Devils in the Walls was originally published in Fantastic Stories in 1962 It was collected in The Fortunes of Brak Brak the Barbarian Edit Brak the Barbarian 1968 Brak the Barbarian Versus the Sorceress also published as Witch of the Four Winds 1969 Brak the Barbarian Versus the Mark of the Demons 1969 When the Idols Walked 1978 ISBN 0 671 81373 0 The Fortunes of Brak 1980 Brak the Barbarian Mark of the Demons omnibus 2012 Witch of the Four Winds When the Idols Walked omnibus 2012 Dark Gate Edit Master of the Dark Gate 1970 Witch of the Dark Gate 1972 Dragonard Edit When The Star Kings Die 1967 The Planet Wizard 1969 Tonight We Steal the Stars 1969 Planet of the Apes Edit Conquest of the Planet of the Apes 1972 Other novels Edit Secrets Of Stardeep 1969 The Hybrid 1969 The Last Magicians 1969 The Asylum World 1969 Mask of Chaos 1970 Monte Cristo 99 1970 Six Gun Planet 1970 Black in Time 1970 Time Gate 1972 Mention My Name in Atlantis 1972 On Wheels 1973 Excalibur 1980 with Gil KaneCollections Edit The Best of John Jakes 1977 Children s books Edit Susanna of the Alamo 1986 Nonfiction Edit Famous Firsts in Sports 1967 Great War Correspondents 1967 Great Women Reporters 1969 Mohawk The Life Of Joseph Brant 1969 Plays Edit A Christmas Carol 1988 Adaptations EditThe Bastard was adapted as a television mini series by Universal Pictures Television as the first offering of the highly successful syndicated package Operation Prime Time 1978 It was followed by The Rebels 1979 and The Seekers 1979 The North and South trilogy was made into three mini series on ABC in the 1980s and 1990s References Edit John Jakes Contemporary Authors Online May 15 2008 Retrieved December 20 2010 a b L H Whittemore June 19 1977 Meet John Jakes Instant Historian and Millionaire Youngstown Vindicator Retrieved July 4 2013 Author Jakes on top after long struggle Sarasota Journal May 26 1977 Retrieved July 4 2013 BEAT THE CLOCK with Bud Collyer Aug 23 1952 Archived from the original on December 12 2021 via www youtube com Ohio Reading Road Trip John Jakes Biography https digitalcommons lsu edu cgi viewcontent cgi article 1458 amp context cwbr bare URL PDF John Jakes at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database John Jakes the author of the Kent Family Chronicles the Civil War saga the North and South Trilogy and the Crown Family Saga His books have sold millions of copies worldwide John Jakes a b Tiptoeing toward Florida Best selling historical novelist John Jakes is named a Florida Literary Legend External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to John Jakes John Jakes at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Works by John Jakes at LibriVox public domain audiobooks FantasticFiction bibliography and book covers Author s website biography Portals Speculative fiction Literature Biography Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Jakes amp oldid 1129648046, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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