Library Center Authors Walk

Along the floor in the picture on the right you can see the gracefully curving Authors Walk, inlaid brass letters listing the names of great authors. Each name is separated by a brass leaf, a motif that is carried throughout the building. This architectural element is one of the hallmarks of the lobby to the Library Center, the headquarters of the Springfield-Greene County Library District. Beginning at the curb outdoors and winding its way all the way to the circulation desk, the walk lists the names of 93 classic and contemporary authors who represent the best of world literature.

Visitors to the Library Center are always intrigued by the Authors Walk. Children will invariably meander down the winding path of names, practicing their ABCs on the two-inch high brass letters. The walk also sparks a lot of interesting questions, among them “Which Brontë sister is listed?” (Answer: All of them.) and “Does the name Potter stand for Harry Potter?” (Answer: No, Harry Potter is just a character in a book by author J.K. Rowling. The name stands for Beatrix Potter.)

The name of each author on the walk is listed below, along with a short biography and some of their most famous works. Click on the author’s name to check the computer card catalog for works by the author on the shelves of the Springfield-Greene County Library. Click on the title to see if that book is on the shelf. For more information, contact the Reference Department at 417-883-5341.

Aesop, ca. 620 B.C.: Fables contain a short narrative that seeks to illustrate a hidden message. Generally, fables use animals or objects as part of the narrative yet the message is designed to apply to humans. The most famous fabulist would be Aesop, who most date around 620 B.C. Many fables are attributed to Aesop, but it’s unclear how many he actually wrote; indeed, his historical existence as a person is under question.
Aesop’s Fables
Alcott , Louisa May, 1832-1888: Alcott is best known for her sentimental yet realistic depictions of nineteenth-century domestic life. Her “Little Women” series attracted young and old readers alike and remains popular today. Alcott’s continuing popular appeal is generally attributed to her believable characterizations and simple, charming writing style, reflected in her adage: “Never use a long word when a short one will do as well.”
Little Women
Little Men

Angelou , Maya, 1928-: Hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary African-American literature, Angelou is best known for “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (1970), the first of her series of five autobiographical novels. Her autobiography and poetry have generated great interest because they reflect her tenacity in overcoming social obstacles and her struggle for self-acceptance.
Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now
And Still I Rise
Aristotle, 384-322 B.C.: One of the great philosophers of all times, Aristotle wrote on physics, natural history, logic, politics and mathematics as well as papers on old age, memory and sleep.
On Man in the Universe
Aristotle’s Politics
Asimov , Isaac, 1920-1992: This accomplished author wrote over 500 books and is noted for his science fiction writings as well as books on mathematics, astronomy, physics, and history. “Robotics” is a phrased coined by Asimov.
The Collapsing Universe
Fantastic Voyage
I, Robot
Austen , Jane, 1775-1817: This noted English writer grew up in an era when women had almost no formal education. Ladies learned about music, poetry, dancing, etc., to attract a husband.
Emma
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Baldwin, James, 1924-1987: Active in the civil rights movement, Baldwin wrote stories and books about the things he knew. His first novel was based on his experiences as a preacher when he was in his teens.
Go Tell It on the Mountain
If Beale Street Could Talk
Balzac, Honore De, 1799-1850: This French writer is one of the creators of realism in novels. He was a failure at business, as well as his early attempts at writing under a pseudonym. He finally linked all of his novels and short stories under the title “Le Comedie Humaine” and began to be recognized as a major writer.
Pere Goriot
Eugenie Grandet
Barrie, J. M., 1860-1937: The ninth of ten children, this Scottish writer became world famous with his work, Peter Pan, which came from stories told to the five sons of a family friend.
Peter Pan
Baum, L. Frank, 1856-1919: Baum developed his great imagination as a timid, shy child. A major health problem kept him from playing with others. An avid reader who disliked frightening fairy tales, he decided to write a different kind of story.
The Wizard of Oz
The Road to Oz
Brontë, Anne, 1820-1849: The youngest of the Brontë sisters, Anne wrote novels about life and times as she knew them in the Yorkshire area. She worked as a governess and was close to her sisters and her brother Branwell.
Agnes Grey
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855: As one of the Brontë sisters, Charlotte and her sisters took care of their father and his strict, religious sister. To escape their unhappy surroundings, Charlotte and the girls created fantasy stories, some based on their brother’s toy soldiers and some addressing women’s issues.
Jane Eyre
Shirley
Brontë, Emily, 1818-1848: This Brontë sister wrote only one novel and used the Yorkshire moors as her background. Emily also wrote romantic poetry also based on the moors.
No Coward Soul Is Mine: Poems
Wuthering Heights
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett, 1806-1861: The oldest daughter of an autocratic father who forbade his children to marry, Elizabeth secretly married Robert Browning and ran away to live in Italy. She was a poet who was interested women in the Victorian era and the abolition of slavery. One of her most famous poems in “How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.”
Sonnets From the Portuguese, and Other Poems
Poems
Browning, Robert, 1812-1889: Considered by many as the greatest Victorian poet of all times, Browning had very little formal education but read extensively in his father’s 6,000 book library. Early on he was influenced by Shelley and went on to meet many famous men of his time. He was married to Elizabeth Barrett and lived in Florence, Italy, for many years.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Poems and Plays of Robert Browning…
Burns, Robert, 1759-1796: The elder son of a poor farmer, Burns had little education. He wrote poems while taking care of his frail father and tried to make a go of farming to no avail. He left the farm to his younger brother and raised money to have his poetry published. He became known and moved to London. With the money from his book, he bought a farm near Dumfries but could not make it prosperous. He died there not knowing that his friends paid his debts so he would not go to jail.
The Poetical Works of Burns
Burroughs, Edgar Rice, 1875-1950: Although he is mainly known for the Tarzan books, Burroughs wrote other wonderful fantasy books as well. John Carter is the hero of the Martian series loved by science fiction readers worldwide.
The Chessmen of Mars
Tarzan of the Apes
The Return of Tarzan
Capote, Truman, 1924-1984: Growing up in the South, Capote began writing stories at the age of eight. He was a friend of Harper Lee and the two interview people for his documentary novel, In Cold Blood. Capote wrote plays as well as fiction and non-fiction.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
A Christmas Memory
In Cold Blood
Carroll, Lewis, 1832-1898: Born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in England, Carroll gave up mathematics and photography to write comic fantasies. He often entertained young children with theses stories, which later became his novels. He also loved to make nonsensical words and use them in his poems.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Jabberwocky
Cather, Willa, 1873-1947: Many of the people and scenes in Cather’s novels are based on the people in Red Cloud, Nebraska, where her family moved from Virginia. Cather wanted to be a doctor and majored in science in college. She became interested in writing when a professor had one of her essays published in the local paper. Cather worked as a Latin teacher, journalist, and an editor while she continued her writing.
Death Comes to the Archbishop
My Antonia
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel De, 1547-1616: Born in Spain, Cervantes moved to Italy and fought against the Turks, where he was severely wounded. On the way home, his ship was captured by the Turks and he spent five years an Algiers prison. There he became a leader who unsuccessfully orchestrated many escape attempts. He was finally ransomed due to the efforts of his family and the Trinitarian Friars. He wrote poetry and fiction.
The Adventures of Don Quixote
Chaucer, Geoffrey, 1342-1400: Born to wealthy parents, Chaucer became a knight and was sent on many diplomatic missions. During his travels, he became very familiar with society, which helped him with The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer was the first poet to be buried in the Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.
The Canterbury Tales
The Poetical Works of Chaucer
Chekhov, Anton, 1860-1904: At 20, Chekhov began writing newspaper magazine stories. He later moved to the Russian countryside and wrote his more serious plays. He practiced medicine while continuing to write. He died at 44 of tuberculosis.
The Cherry Orchard
The Essential Tales of Chekhov
Clancy, Tom, 1947-: Almost every one of Clancy’s books has been number one on the New York Times bestseller list. Known as the Master of the Techno Thrillers, Clancy claims he gets all of his technical information from available public sources. U.S. War Colleges have required students read some of his books.
The Hunt for Red October
Red Storm Rising
Cleary, Beverly, 1916-: A former children’s librarian, Cleary has published over thirty books that have sold over ten million copies. Writing funny stories for young people was one of her ambitions growing up in Oregon. She has won many awards, among those is the coveted Newbery Award.
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Henry Huggins
Ramona
Confucius, 551-479 B.C.: Confucius desired a world free of misery and war. He wanted a world of peace and although he was never a leader of a nation, he shaped history with his philosophy.
The Essential Confucius
The Wisdom of Confucius
Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924: Born in the Ukraine, Conrad always wanted to be a sailor and never intended to become a writer. His stories and novels were a result of his own experiences at sea and the things he saw. In 1886 he became a British citizen and eight years later began his writing career, which continued until his death.
Heart of Darkness
Lord Jim
Typhoon and Other Stories
Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321: This Italian poet was active in the political life of Florence. His first love, Beatrice, was the basis for his ideal love in many of his writings. Banished from Florence during the political upheavals and later threatened with death if captured in the territory, Dante moved to Ravenna where he died and was buried. For years, the city of Florence has tried to have his remains returned but to no avail.
The Divine Comedy
The Inferno
Paradise
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870: This British author had the drive to overcome his humble beginnings. As a young boy, he saw a house that represented the good life. His father said if he worked hard he might have one like it one day. Dickens bought the house, Gad’s Hill in 1856 and lived there until his death. He also traveled extensively, coming to the USA twice.
Bleak House
David Copperfield
Great Expectations
Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886: This noted American poet had only ten poems published during her life. At her death over 1700 poems were found and published. She was noted for her cooking, gardening and sending notes to sick townspeople.
Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
Poems for Youth
Dos Passos, John, 1896-1970: This American writer was educated to be an architect and went to Spain to study after graduation. There he joined the ambulance corps during WW I and enlisted in the Medical Corps after the US entered the war. Afterwards, he traveled and wrote articles for newspapers and journals. He always championed the underdog and was always interested in social issues.
Manhattan Transfer
Three Soldiers
U.S.A.
Dostoevsky, Feodor, 1821-1881: This Russian writer was arrested for political reasons and sentenced to die but due to a last minute reprieve, he was sent to Siberia to work at hard labor for four years. While there he began to have epileptic seizures. When released, he was subjected to compulsory military service. Later in life he was again arrested. After marriage, he lived abroad, but returned to Russia, where he resided until his death.
Crime and Punishment
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, 1859-1939: Doyle was born in Scotland and educated as a doctor. He helped pay his way to college by working as a surgeon aboard whalers. He began to write mystery stories due to his lack of patients. He introduced Sherlock Holmes in his stories, but tired of him and devised his death. His fans demanded his return and Doyle obliged them. After his son’s death, he began studying spiritualism and believed in fairies.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt, 1868-1963: This African-American historian, author and civil rights leader was one of the earliest proponents of equal rights and helped start the National Negro Committee, which became the NAACP. He later moved to Ghana, where he resided until his death.
Black Folk, Then and Now
The Souls of Black Folk
Eliot, Thomas Stearns, 1888-1965: Although he was born in Missouri, Eliot became a British citizen. He won the coveted Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. This playwright and poet founded and edited the journal Criterion. “Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Webber uses some of Eliot’s poems.
Murder in the Cathedral
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882: Emerson was the leader of the Transcendental Movement and was influenced by such schools of thought as Hinduism and Romanticism. He graduated from Harvard at 18, taught school, and became a minister. He was a life long friend of Thomas Carlyle and many other British writers.
The Portable Emerson
The Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson
Faulkner, William, 1897-1962: This Mississippi born Nobel Prize winning author tried to enlist in the U.S. Air Force during WWI but was turned down as he was only 5’ 4” tall. He later enlisted in the Royal Air Force but the war ended before he could fly in combat.
Absalom, Absalom
The Portable Faulkner
The Sound and the Fury
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 1896-1940: Novelist and short story writer, Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda lived a life of parties and travel. He wrote short stories when he needed extra money to support his life style and he patterned some of his novels around the Jazz Age.
The Beautiful and the Damned
The Great Gatsby
This Side of Paradise
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963: Frost was a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize whose ambition was to write “a few poems it will be hard to get rid of.” “The Death of the Hired Hand,” “The Birches” and “The Mending Wall” are some of his more famous poems. Frost was first published while living in England and was friends with many British writers and poets.
Collected Poems of Robert Frost
The Road Not Taken
Goëthe, Johann Wolfgang Von, 1749-1832: This German writer was a novelist, dramatist, poet, and scientist who was studied law. He was most interested in nature, which was reflected in many of his writings. The second part of his great poetical work, “Faust”, was published after his death.
Goethe’s Plays
Faust: A Tragedy
Grimm, Jacob, 1785-1863: Both Jacob and his brother Wilhelm were librarians interested in oral traditions and were the first to write down such fairy tales as “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty.” They wrote also on heroic myth, ancient religion and law.
The Bremen Town Musicians
The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864: Hawthorne wrote novels and short stories, many concerned with sin and attonement. He lived in Berkshire County, MA, where several other writers lived. He and Herman Melville were close friends for a few years. He was unable to support himself as a writer and worked in the Salem customhouse and later had a consulship to Liverpool, England.
The House of Seven Gables
The Scarlet Letter
Tales and Sketches
Heinlein, Robert Anson, 1907-1988: One of the great science fiction writers of all times, Heinlein was born and reared in Missouri, attending the University of Missouri. He served in the Navy, retiring after he contracted tuberculosis. During his life he traveled around the world four times. His popular science fiction books were written to entertain and inform, winning him four Hugo Awards and becoming the first Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Red Planet
Rocket Ship Galileo
Starship Troopers
Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961: Hemingway began his writing career as a reporter for the Kansas City Star. He observed 4 wars, serving as a correspondents in several. Some of his best short stories and books have war backgrounds. An avid outdoorsman, Hemingway traveled the world, climbing mountains and hunting. He committed suicide in 1961.
A Farewell to Arms
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Old Man and the Sea
Homer, ca. 900 B.C.: Homer is known as the “Greek Blind Poet.” Through the ages, there has been some controversy as to whether or not he actually wrote the poetry attributed to him, as the stories grew out of the oral tradition and they were written down later after the Greeks perfected their alphabet.
The Iliad
The Odyssey
Hugo, Victor, 1802-1885: This poet, novelist and dramatist is known as the most important French writer of the 19^th century. He was such a dedicated writer that every morning he wrote a minimum of 20 pages of prose or 100 lines of poetry. He was an ardent admirer of Napoleon.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Les Miserables
Cosette
Ibsen, Henrik, 1828-1906: This Norwegian playwright focused on his characters instead of plots. He traveled for 27 years on a government travel award, writing many plays. He also later received a stipend to write poetry. He was friends with George Bernard Shaw who greatly admired him.
A Doll’s House
Peer Gynt
The Complete Major Prose Plays
Joyce, James, 1882-1941: This Irish writer, who left Ireland in 1912, avoided flowery, artistic language, as he preferred to use raw reality to describe his characters. Many consider Ulysses the greatest novel ever written.
The Dubliners
Finnigan’s Wake
Ulysses
Kafka, Franz, 1883-1924: Kafka’s works would never have been published if his friend Max Brod had not defied Kafka’s will and published his unpublished manuscripts. Kafka was born in Prague and worked there, taking a low paying position so he could have time to write. Very little of his works were published during his shot lifetime.
Amerika
The Metamorphosis
The Trial
Keats, John, 1795-1821: Keats died at the early age of 26 due to tuberculosis – he was trained as an apothecary-surgeon but left the profession to write poetry full time. He is considered “The Romantic Poet” of the 19^th century.
The Poetical Works of John Keats
Selected Poems and Letters
Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936: This India-born writer was buried in Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey. He died in London on January 18, 1936, just after his seventieth birthday. His pallbearers included a prime minister, an admiral, a general, and the head of a Cambridge college.
How the Leopard Got His Spots
How the Camel Got His Hump
Lawrence, D.H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930: Many of Lawrence’s books and painting were banned in the UK due to their “inappropriate nature.” One can take both undergraduate and graduate degrees in “D.H. Lawrence Studies” at the University of Nottingham, England, which Lawrence himself attended.
The White Peacock
The Lost Girl
The Rainbow
Lewis, C. S., (Clive Staples), 1898-1963: Born in Belfast, Lewis died on the same day as President Kennedy. His mother died he was a child and his father was a solicitor. He spent many hours with his older brother inventing an imaginary land called AnimalLand and reading many books. His favorites were E. Nesbit and Gulliver’s Travels.
Reflections on the Psalms
The Horse and His Boy
London, Jack, 1876-1916: London ran unsuccessfully several times on the socialist ticket as mayor in Oakland. Always a prolific reader, he consciously chose to become a writer to escape his life as a factory worker. He spent the winter of 1897 in the Yukon and this gave him his many ideas for his writings.
Housekeeping in the Klondike
The Sea-Wolf
Sun Dog Trail
Longfellow, William Wadsworth, 1807-1882: Longfellow began his teaching career at the age of 22 as a professor of modern languages. He later accepted a position at Harvard and remained there for most of his life. He was an ardent opponent to slavery. The tragedies of his life were the losses of his two wives.
Hiawatha
Paul Revere’s Ride
The Children’s Hour
Mailer, Norman, 1923-: Mailer attended Harvard and graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1943. He published his first story when he was 18 years old. He was jailed for demonstrating against the Vietnam War in 1967. Norman Mailer was married six times and has nine children.
The Executioner’s Song
Oswalds Tale
An American Dream
McCullers, Carson Lula, 1917-1967: This Georgia writer is known for writing about lonely people. She moved to New York to attend Juilliard School of Music but lost her tuition money upon arrival. She married and moved to North Carolina where she published her first novel. McCullers wrote most of her Southern Gothic novel after leaving the South.
The Ballad of the Sad Café
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Member of the Wedding
Melville, Herman, 1819-1891: For a few years Melville was a close friend of Nathaniel Hawthorne who may have greatly influenced Melville during the writing of Moby Dick. Some of their correspondence survives.
Bartleby, the Scrivener
Billy Budd
Omoo
Typee
Michener, James A., 1907-1997: Although Michener made millions from his books, he may be better knows for giving away his money to charitable causes. He gave away over $100 million while considering himself a poor boy from Pennsylvania.
The Bridges at Toko-ri
Centennial
Hawaii
This World is My Home
Milne, A. A., 1882-1956: By his own words, Milne was not fond of children, yet he wrote stories and books for children that have stood the test of time. His father, a school headmaster, influenced him greatly, as did H.G. Wells, who taught him in grade school.
Winnie the Pooh
When We Were Very Young
Growing Up Stories
Milton, John, 1608-1674: Known as the greatest poet, Milton finished his most well-know work after loosing his sight in 1651. Though he was born into a wealthy family, Milton was a relatively poor man. He became friends with the astronomer Galileo and used some of his conversations in his works.
The Poems of John Milton
Paradise Lost
Morrison, Toni, 1931-: While this mid-western born writer believes in ghosts, her writings also illustrate growing up black and female. She has been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the Nobel Prize for Literature and other.
Beloved
The Bluest Eye
Song of Solomon
Sula
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 1844-1900: This Prussian philosopher, always in ill health, published nine books in eight years and had four others ready to publish. When Nietzsche was 45, he actually went insane watching a coachman flog a horse and remained insane until his death.
Beyond Good and Evil
Thus Spake Zarathustra
Twilight of the Idols
Orwell, George, 1903-1950: Born in India, this British author is best known for his satirical writings. After college, Orwell joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma and later fought in the Spanish Civil War. His distrust of government influenced many of his writings.
Animal Farm
Nineteen Eighty-four
The Road to Wigan Pier
Plath, Sylvia, 1932-1963: Born in Massachusetts, Plath was interested in poetry and writing as a young girl. She married the Cambridge poet Ted Hughes. Sylvia suffered from depression and was preoccupied with death and rebirth. At 30, she took her own life in London and later became a heroine and martyr to the feminist cause.
The Bed Book
Bell Jar
The Journals of Sylvia Plath
Plato, ca. 428-347 B.C.: Plato, a pupil of Socrates, was born into an Athenian family with important political connections. After becoming disillusioned with Athenian politics, Plato founded the Academy where Aristotle was one of his students. He wrote until his death at 80.
The Apology
Dialogues of Plato
The Republic
Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849: Poe’s parents were both actors and died before he was three years old. He was well educated but left college due to bad debts. His short stories were well known during his lifetime although he could not support himself with his writings. Poe is known as the architect of the modern short story.
Eight Tales of Terror
The Fall of the House of Usher
Poems
Potter, (Helen) Beatrix, 1866-1943: Potter grew up in London, secluded from the world. She had small animals as pets and was also interested in drawing. Her books were realistic and based on the lives of animals, not humans. She originally published them herself as small books to fit children’s hands. All of her life, she kept a journal which she wrote in secret code.
Beatrix Potter’s Art
Meet Benjamin Bunny
Peter Rabbit
Proust, Marcel, 1871-1922: Proust’s multivolume novel, Remembrance of Things Past, is considered to be one of greatest French novels of the century. Proust was active in the Dreyfus spy scandal, supporting Dreyfus until his pardon. Proust, asthmatic since childhood, lived in an apartment which he refused to clean as it would stir up the dust and cause asthmatic attacks.
Remembrance of Things Past
Swann’s Way
Sandburg, Carl, 1879-1967: This Pulitzer Prize winner left school at 13 to become a laborer. He served in the Spanish-American war and attended college after returning home. He was a newspaperman in Chicago and began to write poetry. He was influenced by Walt Whitman and wrote poems about ordinary people. He wrote his first fiction book at the age of 70.
Abraham Lincoln
American Songbag
Complete Poems
Sendak, Maurice, 1928-: Born to poor Polish immigrants, many of Sendak’s relatives died in the Holocaust. His books usually have a moon, which symbolizes his mother watching over him. He illustrates books, writes lyrics and even designed wooden toys with his brother.
In the Night Kitchen
Little Bear
Where the Wild Things Are
Seuss, Dr., (Theodor Geisel) 1904-1991: This popular children’s author also wrote ads, cartoons, and humorous articles for magazines. He served in WWII and wrote for Frank Capra’s Signal Corps Unit. Concerned about illiteracy, he began to write children’s books using less than 250 words. Bennett Cerf bet him $50 that he could not write a book using only 50 words. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham!
And to think I Saw It on Mulberry Street
The Cat in the Hat
The Lorax
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616: Considered to be England’s national poet, Shakespeare was an accomplished author and dramatist, as well. He wrote comedies, histories, and tragedies. His plays are as popular today as in yesteryears. He was not a starving writer as he owned property in London and Avon. He was buried without a name on his tombstone.
As You Like It
Hamlet
Macbeth
Sonnets
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, 1797-1851: Mary Shelley married poet Percy Shelley after the death of his first wife. They lived abroad and she wrote and edited his works. After his death, she took care of her father and devoted herself to her only surviving child, Percy Florence Shelley.
Frankenstein
Valperga
Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 1792-1822: Educated at Eton and Oxford, Shelley’s father hoped his son would take his place in Parliament. After writing a pamphlet on atheism, Shelly was expelled from Oxford. He moved to Ireland and later Italy where he continued to write prose and poems in support of election reform and education for the masses. He was lost at sea on July 8, 1822.
Complete Poems
Selected Poetry and Prose of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Silverstein, Shel, 1932-1999: Born in Chicago, this author is best known for his children’s poems. He was also a composer, cartoonist, folksinger, and lyricist. He wrote music for movies and wrote the screenplay for the movie, “Things Change.” He won several awards for his books.
A Giraffe and a Half
A Light in the Attic
The Missing Piece
Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968: While writing his books, Steinbeck worked as a laborer to support himself, using his experiences in this writings. Best known for his works about social criticism, Steinbeck also wrote propaganda for the government during WWII. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Cannery Row
East of Eden
The Grapes of Wrath
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894: Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Stevenson studied law but never practiced as he had discovered his calling as a writer. Although his best know books seem to be for children, they are also clearly intended for adults. He wrote short stories, adult novels, romances, and books about his journeys.
The Black Arrow
A Child’s Garden of Verse
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Styron, William, 1925-: This Virginia-born author was educated at Duke University. He worked as an associate editor for McGraw-Hill Publishers. His first novel won a national award. Some of his works have been made into movies.
The Confessions of Nat Turner
Sophie’s Choice
This Quiet Dust
Swift, Jonathan, 1667-1745: Born in Ireland, this English satirist, poet, and political writer was ordained a priest in Dublin. His writings were mostly concerned with society and government. His most famous novel, Gulliver’s Travels, was written anonymously.
Complete Poems
Gulliver’s Travels
A Tale of a Tub
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862: Although Harvard educated, Thoreau lived as simply as he could near Walden Pond in Concord, Mass. He grew his own food, fished, and collected wild fruits and berries. He taught himself to survey and worked only when needed to maintain his life style. He was an inventor and engineer and improved on his family’s pencil-making business so that they competed with the German pencil-maker Farber.
Civil Disobedience
The Portable Thoreau
Walden
Thurber, James, 1894-1961: This Ohio-born humorist, cartoonist, and writer wrote cartoons for the New Yorker magazine from 1927 until 1961. Many of his works were also made into movies. Thurber wrote thirty books and many articles for the New Yorker.
Many Moons
The Thurber Carnival
The Wonderful O
Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel, 1892-1973: A major English language scholar, many of Tolkien’s stories and books began as tales told to his children. He based many of his writings in a pre-history period he called Middle-earth. He taught at Oxford University where he became friends with C.S. Lewis.
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Silmarillion
Tolstoy, Leo, 1828-1910: Recognized as one of the greatest writers of all times, Tolstoy used ordinary, everyday experiences to illustrate the choices made by his characters. He is also noted for novels with hundreds of characters. Ghandi was influenced by Tolstoy’s teachings.
Anna Karenina
Death of Ivan Ilyich
War and Peace
Twain, Mark, (Clemens, Samuel L.), 1835-1910: This Missouri writer also worked piloting steamboats up and down the Mississippi River (where he got his pseudonym), prospected for gold, was a journalist in California and Nevada, and was a well-known storyteller and lecturer. He traveled widely and published travelogues about his journeys.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Vonnegut, Kurt, 1922-: This American writer uses humor, fantasy, and satire to express his views on man and society. He was a prisoner of war during WWII and used this experience as a basis for Slaughterhouse Five. He has written children’s books as well as his more well-known adult novels.
Cat’s Cradle
Slaughterhouse Five
Timequake
Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915: The spokesman for African-Americans for many years, Washington was a confidential advisor to many presidents. He was instrumental in the development of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and help build its’ national reputation. This former slave was a guest of the Queen of England at Windsor Castle.
Up From Slavery
Wells, Herbert George, 1866-1946: This English novelist wrote over a hundred books during his lifetime. A radio production of his War of the Worlds caused panic in the United States. Wells became known for his serious writings as well as his satires and science fiction novels. He refused to leave his London home during the bombings in WWII.
The Invisible Man
Outline of History
War of the Worlds
Welty, Eudora Alice, 1909-2001: Born in Mississippi, Welty lived a sheltered life and lived, until her death, in the home of her parents. She included her father’s interest in machines in her stories, such as clocks, cameras, etc. Her interest in relationships was demonstrated in many of her works. She often used comedy in weaving her stories about the South.
Delta Wedding
The Optimist’s Daughter
The Ponder Heart
Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892: This American poet worked as a printer, journalist, carpenter, house-builder, and real estate speculator. His travels greatly influenced his poetry where he wrote about everyday occurrences. During the Civil War, he worked in hospitals, aiding soldiers from the South as well as the North. Later in his life, he wrote about life and death.
I Hear America Singing
Leaves of Grass
Song of Myself
Wilde, Oscar (Willis, Fingal O’Flahertie), 1854-1900: This Irish born poet, dramatist, and writer of fiction and non-fiction, traveled and worked as a journalist and book reviewer. Wilde wrote about sin and punishment and even his fairy tales have conflict themes. Wilde was imprisoned and continued to write while there. He died penniless in Paris.
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1864-1957: This children’s writer took her own life experiences and transformed them into stories. She is known for developing her characters and watching them grow and mature. The Ingalls family lived in Wisconsin, the Great Plains, and the Dakota Territories. Her books all depict life in a loving family and illustrate family values.
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Farmer Boy
Little House on the Prairie
Woolf, Virginia, 1882-1941: This English writer was mainly educated at home due to illness. She read books from her father’s library. Mental illness ran in the family and Virginia had several breakdowns. She is known for her experimental works and often her characters are more important than her plots. She used the disintegration of society as a major theme in many of her works. She and her husband founded the Hogarth Pres, which published the works of Freud, among others.
Mrs. Dalloway
Orlando
A Room of One’s Own