John Robert Colombo
Encyclopedia
John Robert Colombo, CM
(b. March 24, 1936, Kitchener, Ontario
) is nationally known as the Master Gatherer. He is among Canada
's most prolific authors of serious books. He is a poet, anthologist, editor, essayist, humourist, author or editor of over 200 books, best known as a writer and compiler of reference works and editor of anthologies pertaining to Canadian culture, history
and geography
, and the fields of lore and literature, science fiction, fantasy, and horror; his Other Canadas [1979] was the first anthology of Canadian fantastic literature, and established that the genre did exist with characteristic features. He also co-edited Not to Be Taken at Night [1982], the first anthology of Canadian fiction of horror and terror. He was a charter member of Hydra North, the country's first association of SF professionals (founded by Judith Merril
). He has been called "Canada's Mr. Mystery" for over 30 compilations of told-as-true Canadian ghost stories, beginning with Mysterious Canada (1978). Part of this work is "The Native Series" which consists of six volumes of Native lore including now-standard studies of the Windigo and the Shaking Tent mystery.
In the past he served as an editor or editorial consultant to The Ryerson Press, McClelland & Stewart, and other publishing houses. He is a member of the editorial board of the Battered Silicon Dispatch Box
, a reprint publisher of Canadiana and classic pulp fiction, and he is proprietor of his own publishing imprint, Colombo & Company.
Colombo's most famous works compile quotation
s by Canadians about all subjects and about Canada by non-Canadians, in a format similar to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
. In this regard he has been called John "Bartlett" Colombo. He has also been the country's most prolific compiler of told-as-true accounts of the supernatural
and the paranormal
, including ghost
and UFO stories. He has written monographs on such parapsychological researchers as R.S. Lambert, George and Iris Owen, James Webb, and Denis Saurat (three volumes).
Colombo is a graduate of the University of Toronto
in English
and philosophy
in 1959. He subsequently taught at Atkinson College and Glendon College, York University, Downsview, Ont., but is mainly known as an "editor-at-large." He is a recipient of the Centennial Medal, the Order of Cyril and Methodius (1st class), the Harbourfront Literary Award, a D.Litt. (h.c.) from York University
and the Order of Canada
. An occasional contributor to newspapers and magazines as well as radio and television, he hosted the six-part series Unexplained Canada
on Space, which premiered in January 2006. He was chosen Humanist of the Year (2010) by the Humanist Association of Toronto.
Colombo has been a frequent commentator in the media. From 1990 to 2010 he led courses on presentation skills with Canada's "presentation guru," Peter Urs Bender, at the Canadian Management Centre, Toronto, Canada. Since the appearance of his three-volume collected poems in 2005, he has published each year a book-length selection of new poems that includes entries from his "dream diary." A selection of his poetry is found at www.library.utoronto.ca/Canpoetry/colombo/ and his reviews and commentaries appear on www.gurdjieffbooks.wordpress.com. His website is www.colombo.ca.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(b. March 24, 1936, Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
) is nationally known as the Master Gatherer. He is among Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's most prolific authors of serious books. He is a poet, anthologist, editor, essayist, humourist, author or editor of over 200 books, best known as a writer and compiler of reference works and editor of anthologies pertaining to Canadian culture, history
History of Canada
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day. Canada has been inhabited for millennia by distinctive groups of Aboriginal peoples, among whom evolved trade networks, spiritual beliefs, and social hierarchies...
and geography
Geography of Canada
The geography of Canada is vast and diverse. Occupying most of the northern portion of North America , Canada is the world's second largest country in total area....
, and the fields of lore and literature, science fiction, fantasy, and horror; his Other Canadas [1979] was the first anthology of Canadian fantastic literature, and established that the genre did exist with characteristic features. He also co-edited Not to Be Taken at Night [1982], the first anthology of Canadian fiction of horror and terror. He was a charter member of Hydra North, the country's first association of SF professionals (founded by Judith Merril
Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman , who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist....
). He has been called "Canada's Mr. Mystery" for over 30 compilations of told-as-true Canadian ghost stories, beginning with Mysterious Canada (1978). Part of this work is "The Native Series" which consists of six volumes of Native lore including now-standard studies of the Windigo and the Shaking Tent mystery.
In the past he served as an editor or editorial consultant to The Ryerson Press, McClelland & Stewart, and other publishing houses. He is a member of the editorial board of the Battered Silicon Dispatch Box
Battered Silicon Dispatch Box
The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box is an independent, Canadian literary publisher, founded in 1993 by George A. Vanderburgh. Based in Shelburne, Ontario, and in Sauk City, Wisconsin, the company is headed by George Vanderburgh....
, a reprint publisher of Canadiana and classic pulp fiction, and he is proprietor of his own publishing imprint, Colombo & Company.
Colombo's most famous works compile quotation
Quotation
A quotation or quote is the repetition of one expression as part of another one, particularly when the quoted expression is well-known or explicitly attributed by citation to its original source, and it is indicated by quotation marks.A quotation can also refer to the repeated use of units of any...
s by Canadians about all subjects and about Canada by non-Canadians, in a format similar to Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, often simply called Bartlett's, is an American reference work that is the longest-lived and most widely distributed collection of quotations...
. In this regard he has been called John "Bartlett" Colombo. He has also been the country's most prolific compiler of told-as-true accounts of the supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
and the paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
, including ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
and UFO stories. He has written monographs on such parapsychological researchers as R.S. Lambert, George and Iris Owen, James Webb, and Denis Saurat (three volumes).
Colombo is a graduate of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in 1959. He subsequently taught at Atkinson College and Glendon College, York University, Downsview, Ont., but is mainly known as an "editor-at-large." He is a recipient of the Centennial Medal, the Order of Cyril and Methodius (1st class), the Harbourfront Literary Award, a D.Litt. (h.c.) from York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
and the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. An occasional contributor to newspapers and magazines as well as radio and television, he hosted the six-part series Unexplained Canada
Unexplained Canada
Unexplained Canada is a show that aired on Space, a Canadian cable television station. It was a six-part series coming from many different perspectives of historical/social mysteries. It was hosted by John Robert Colombo and premiered January 2006. The show was produced by KarowPrime Films in Canada....
on Space, which premiered in January 2006. He was chosen Humanist of the Year (2010) by the Humanist Association of Toronto.
Colombo has been a frequent commentator in the media. From 1990 to 2010 he led courses on presentation skills with Canada's "presentation guru," Peter Urs Bender, at the Canadian Management Centre, Toronto, Canada. Since the appearance of his three-volume collected poems in 2005, he has published each year a book-length selection of new poems that includes entries from his "dream diary." A selection of his poetry is found at www.library.utoronto.ca/Canpoetry/colombo/ and his reviews and commentaries appear on www.gurdjieffbooks.wordpress.com. His website is www.colombo.ca.
Poetry
- Lines for the Last Day (1960)
- The Mackenzie Poems (1966)
- Miraculous Montages (1966)
- The Great Wall of China (1966)
- William Lyon Mackenzie Rides Again! (1967)
- Abracadabra (1967)
- John Toronto (1969)
- Neo Poems (1970)
- The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire (1971)
- Leonardo's Lists (1972)
- Praise Poems (1972)
- Translations from the English (1974)
- The Sad Truths (1974)
- The Great Collage (1974)
- Proverbial Play (1975)
- Mostly Monsters (1977, 1995)
- Variable Cloudiness (1977)
- Private Parts (1978)
- The Great Cities of Antiquity (1979)
- Poems of the Inuit (1981)
- Selected Poems (1982)
- Selected Translations (1982)
- Windigo (1982)
- Recent Poems (1982)
- Songs of the Indians (1983)
- Off Earth (1987)
- Songs of the Great Land (1989)
- The Mystery of the Shaking Tent (1993)
- Voices of Rama (1994)
- Luna Park / One Thousand Poems (1994)
- Space Poems (1995)
- Contrails (1996)
- Earlier Lives (1996)
- Ether / Rewords (1997)
- What is What (1998)
- Interspaces (1999)
- Impromptus (2000)
- Half a World Away (2000)
- All the Poems of JRC (3 vols., 2005)
- All the Aphorisms of JRC (2006)
- Autumn in August (2006)
- Parts of the World (2007)
- End Notes (2008)
- Indifferences: New Aphorisms (2009)
- A Far Cry (2009)
- End of Greatness (2010)
- Poems of Space and Time (2010)
- Entresol (2011)
- Impronderables (2011)
Anthologies
- Richard Maurice Bucke: Catalogue (1963)
- Probings (1968)
- Colombo's Hollywood (1979)
- Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy (1979)
- Other Canadas (1979)
- Blackwood's Books (1981)
- Friendly Aliens (1981)
- Not to Be Taken at Night (1981)
- Years of Light (1982)
- Extraordinary Experiences (1989)
- Mysterious Encounters (1990)
- Mackenzie King's Ghost (1991)
- UFOs over Canada (1991)
- Dark Visions (1992)
- Walt Whitman's Canada (1992)
- The New Consciousness (1994)
- Close Encounters of the Canadian Kind (1994)
- Ghosts Galore! (1994)
- Strange Stories (1994)
- Closer than You Think (1998)
- Marvellous Stories (1998)
- Singular Stories (1999)
- Weird Stories (2000)
- Ghosts in Our Past (2000)
- Ghost Stories of Canada (2000)
- The New Consciousness: Selected Papers of R.M. Bucke (2007)
- The Big Book of Canadian Ghost Stories (2008)
- The Big Book of Canadian Hauntings (2009)
- The Sumuru Omnibus by Sax Rohmer (2010)
- Tears of Our Lady by Sax Rohmer (2010)
Humour
- Colombo's Little Book of Canadian Proverbs (1975)
- 222 Canadian Jokes (1981)
- Colombo's Last Words (1982)
- Colombo's Laws (1982)
- René Lévesque Buys Canada Savings Bonds (1983)
- Great Moments in Canadian History (1984)
- The Toronto Puzzle Book (1984)
- Canada First Quiz (1984)
- Quotations from Chairman Lamport (1990)
- Ogdenisms (1994)
- Metro's Goldwyn Mayor (1995)
- Erotica Canadiana (1995)
- 666 Canadian Jokes (1996)
- Slightly Higher in Canada (1996)
- Colombo's Doublebook of Laws & Last Lines (1996)
- The Stephen Leacock Quote Book (1996)
- Iron Curtains (1996)
- Kidstuff (1996)
- All About Us (1998)
- More Iron Curtains (1998)
- Yet More Iron Curtains (2000)
- Canadian Capers (2000)