Charles Finger
Encyclopedia
Charles Joseph Finger was an American author.
, England
and attended King's College London
. He traveled extensively as a young man, visiting North America
, South America
, and Africa
. He eventually settled in the United States, in the Ozarks
, Arkansas
.
He became the acting editor of the Reedy's Mirror
after William Marion Reedy's death in 1920.
His book Tales from Silver Lands
(1924) won the 1925 Newbery Medal
. The book is a collection of stories from Central and South America. Some of Finger's other works include Tales Worth Telling (1927), Courageous Companions (1929), and A Dog at His Heel (1936).
Finger was an accomplished musician. He directed the San Angelo Conservatory of Music in Texas, from 1898 to 1904. Among his piano students in San Angelo was David Wendel Guion, who would later achieve notability for arranging and popularizing the ballad "Home on the Range
."
The epitaph on Finger's gravestone reads as follows: "This voyage done, set and steer once more
To further landfall on some nobler shore." He is buried in the Farmington, Arkansas
cemetery.
Biography
He was born in WillesdenWillesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and attended King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. He traveled extensively as a young man, visiting North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. He eventually settled in the United States, in the Ozarks
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
He became the acting editor of the Reedy's Mirror
Reedy's Mirror
Reedy's Mirror was a literary journal in St. Louis, Missouri in the fin de siècle era. It billed itself "The Mid-West Weekly".-Overview:The journal first appeared on February, 25 1891 under the title of the Sunday Mirror, published by The Sunday Mirror Company in St. Louis. On February 28, 1895,...
after William Marion Reedy's death in 1920.
His book Tales from Silver Lands
Tales from Silver Lands
Tales from Silver Lands is a book by Charles Finger that won the Newbery Medal in 1925.The book is a collection of nineteen folktales of the native populations of Central and South America, including a "just-so story" describing how rabbits and rats got their tails....
(1924) won the 1925 Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
. The book is a collection of stories from Central and South America. Some of Finger's other works include Tales Worth Telling (1927), Courageous Companions (1929), and A Dog at His Heel (1936).
Finger was an accomplished musician. He directed the San Angelo Conservatory of Music in Texas, from 1898 to 1904. Among his piano students in San Angelo was David Wendel Guion, who would later achieve notability for arranging and popularizing the ballad "Home on the Range
Home on the Range
"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
."
The epitaph on Finger's gravestone reads as follows: "This voyage done, set and steer once more
To further landfall on some nobler shore." He is buried in the Farmington, Arkansas
Farmington, Arkansas
Farmington is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area....
cemetery.