Jack Snow (writer)

Jack Snow (writer)

John Frederick "Jack" Snow (August 15, 1907 – July 13, 1956) was an American radio writer and scholar, primarily of the works of L. Frank Baum. When Baum died in 1919, the twelve-year-old Snow offered to be the next Royal Historian of Oz, but was politely turned down by a staffer at Baum's publisher, Reilly & Lee. Snow eventually wrote two Oz books: "The Magical Mimics in Oz" (1946) and "The Shaggy Man of Oz" (1949) as well as "Who's Who in Oz" (1954), a thorough guide to the Oz characters, all of which Reilly & Lee published.

In his second year in high school, the precocious Snow created the first radio review column in American journalism, in "The Cincinnati Enquirer." [Jack Snow, "Who's Who in Oz," Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 276.] After graduation, Snow pursued a career in print journalism and primarily in radio, with periods in teachers college and the U. S. Army. He named the Ohio radio station WING, and spent seven years with the National Broadcasting Company in New York.

Snow also wrote a short story, "A Murder in Oz," for "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine", but the editors rejected it, and it was posthumously published in "The Baum Bugle". That story has been published in a collection titled "Spectral Snow", which collects several of the horror stories Snow sold to popular magazines, such as "Weird Tales". [ Snow published five stories in "Weird Tales" over the space of two decades: "Night Wings," Sept. 1927; "Poison," Dec. 1928; "Second Childhood," March 1945; "Seed," 1946; and "Midnight," May 1946. Sheldon Jaffrey and Fred Cook, "The Collector's Index to Weird Tales," Bowling Green, OH, Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1985; p. 116.] "Dark Music and Other Spectral Tales" was an earlier such collection, published in 1947. There is a good deal of overlap, but each anthology contains stories not found in the other. The eponymous story has been anthologized in other collections.

There have been rumors over the years of a third unpublished Oz book by Snow, entitled "Over the Rainbow to Oz" (involving either Polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, or an early history of Oz), but no manuscript has ever been discovered.

Snow's address book of Oz fans, discovered after he died, became the basis of the mailing that established The International Wizard of Oz Club.Fact|date=February 2008

"The Baum Bugle" winter 1987 issue contains biographical and bibliographical information about Snow as well as critical analysis of his horror output.

He is buried in an unmarked grave in Piqua, Ohio, his birthplace. Fact|date=February 2008

Notes



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jack Snow — can refer to:*Jack Snow (writer) (1907 1956), a writer of Oz books. *Jack Snow (American football) (1943 2006), an American football player. *J.T. Snow (Jack Thomas, born 1968), an American baseball player and son of the football player …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Belden — (February 3 1910 in Brooklyn, New York ndash; June 3 1989 in Paris) was an American war correspondent who covered the Japanese invasion of China, the Second World War and the Chinese Revolution.LifeAs one of the noted China correspondents in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Clement — Birth name Jack Henderson Clement Also known as Cowboy Jack Clement Born April 5, 1931 (1931 04 05) (age 80) Memphis, Tennessee, United States …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Horner (Fables) — Superherobox caption = Jack running from Fabletown, cover art for Jack of Fables #1 character name = Jack Horner publisher = Vertigo Comics debut = Fables #1 (July 2002) creators = Bill Willingham alliance color = background:#ffc0c0 alter ego =… …   Wikipedia

  • Snow Dogs — Infobox Film | name = Snow Dogs caption = Snow Dogs promotional poster director = Brian Levant producer = Casey Grant Jordan Kerner writer = Gary Paulsen (book) (screenplay) Jim Kouf, Tommy Swerdlow Michael Goldberg, Mark Gibson Philip Halprin… …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Frost (1996 film) — For the 1998 comedy starring Michael Keaton, see Jack Frost (1998 film).Infobox Film name = Jack Frost director = Michael Cooney producer = Barry L. Collier Barbara Javitz Jeremy Paige Vicki Slotnick writer = Michael Cooney Jeremy Paige starring …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Canfora — John Lawrence Jack Canfora (born April 6, 1969) is an American playwright whose works include Place Setting, Jericho and a Poetic License. After receiving his dramatic training at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began his career as an… …   Wikipedia

  • Jack Blott — NFL PlayerCoach name=Jack Blott DateOfBirth=birth date|1902|8|24 Birthplace=city state|Girard|Ohio DateOfDeath=death date and age|1964|6|11|1902|8|24 PlaceOfDeath=city state|Ann Arbor|Michigan Height ft=6 Height in=0 Weight lbs=210 Position= C/K… …   Wikipedia

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film) — Infobox Film name = Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs image size = 215px caption = original theatrical poster writer = Brothers Grimm (fairy tale) Ted Sears Richard Creedon Otto Englander Dick Rickard Earl Hurd Merrill De Maris Dorothy Ann Blank… …   Wikipedia

  • Snow White and the Three Stooges — Infobox Film name = Snow White and the Three Stooges director = Walter Lang producer = Harry A. Romm Charles Z. Wick writer = Noel Langley Elwood Ullman Charles Wick starring = Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Joe DeRita Carol Heiss Edson Stroll… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”