Walter D. Edmonds
Encyclopedia
Walter "Walt" Dumaux Edmonds (July 15, 1903 Boonville, New York
– January 24, 1998) was an American
author
noted for his historical novel
s, including the popular Drums Along the Mohawk
(1936), which was successfully made into a Technicolor feature film in 1939 directed by John Ford
and starring Henry Fonda
and Claudette Colbert
.
(now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut
. Originally intending to study chemical engineering
, he became more interested in writing and worked as managing editor
of the Choate Literary Magazine
. He graduated in 1926 from Harvard
, where he edited The Harvard Advocate
, and where he studied with Charles Townsend Copeland
.
In 1929, he published his first novel, Rome Haul
, a work about the Erie Canal
. The novel was adapted for the 1934 play
The Farmer Takes a Wife
and the 1935 film of the same name. He married Eleanor Stetson in 1930.
Drums Along the Mohawk was on the bestseller
list for two years, second only to Margaret Mitchell
's famous 1936 novel Gone with the Wind
for part of that time. Bert Breen's Barn
was a winner of the 1976 National Book Award.
Edmonds eventually published 34 books, many for children, as well as a number of magazine stories. He won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
in 1960 and the Newbery Medal
in 1942, for The Matchlock Gun
, and the National Book Award
for Children's Literature in 1976, for Bert Breen's Barn.
When Eleanor died in 1956, Walter married Katherine Howe Baker Carr, who died in 1989. Walter Edmonds died in Concord, Massachusetts
, in 1998.
Boonville, New York
Boonville, New York may refer to either:* Boonville , New York* Boonville , New York, which lies within the Town of Boonville...
– January 24, 1998) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
noted for his historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s, including the popular Drums Along the Mohawk
Drums Along the Mohawk (novel)
Drums Along the Mohawk is a novel by American author Walter D. Edmonds which follows the lives of fictional Gil and Lana Martin, settlers in the Mohawk Valley of the New York frontier during the American Revolution...
(1936), which was successfully made into a Technicolor feature film in 1939 directed by John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
and starring Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
and Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
.
Life
In 1919 he entered The Choate SchoolChoate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...
(now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
. Originally intending to study chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
, he became more interested in writing and worked as managing editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
of the Choate Literary Magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
. He graduated in 1926 from Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he edited The Harvard Advocate
The Harvard Advocate
The Harvard Advocate, the literary magazine of Harvard College, is the oldest continuously published college literary magazine in the United States. The magazine was founded by Charles S. Gage and William G. Peckham in 1866 and, except for a hiatus during the last years of World War II, has...
, and where he studied with Charles Townsend Copeland
Charles Townsend Copeland
Charles Townsend Copeland was a professor, poet, and writer. He spent much of his time as a mentor in Boston, Massachusetts, specifically at Harvard University, and also worked as a part time theater critic. Known as "Copey" by many of his peers and admirers, he became known for his Harvard...
.
In 1929, he published his first novel, Rome Haul
Rome Haul
Rome Haul is the first novel by American author Walter D. Edmonds. The novel tells the love story of two workers on New York State's Erie Canal. In 1934, the book was adapted to the play, The Farmer Takes a Wife by Frank B...
, a work about the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. The novel was adapted for the 1934 play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
The Farmer Takes a Wife
The Farmer Takes a Wife
The Farmer Takes a Wife is a 1934 play by Frank B. Elser and Marc Connelly based on the novel Rome Haul by Walter D. Edmonds. It was well-received upon its opening night on Broadway on October 30, 1934 at the 46th Street Theatre. The production was directed by Marc Connelly and used set designs by...
and the 1935 film of the same name. He married Eleanor Stetson in 1930.
Drums Along the Mohawk was on the bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
list for two years, second only to Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was an American author and journalist. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1937 for her epic American Civil War era novel, Gone with the Wind, which was the only novel by Mitchell published during her lifetime.-Family:Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta,...
's famous 1936 novel Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
for part of that time. Bert Breen's Barn
Bert Breen's Barn
Bert Breen's Barn is a children's novel by Walter D. Edmonds set in the early 1900s. The book was published in 1975 by Little Brown & Co. The main character is Tom Dolan, an impoverished young man who lives in the north Adirondack country. The plot follows his fascination with Bert Breen's Barn, as...
was a winner of the 1976 National Book Award.
Edmonds eventually published 34 books, many for children, as well as a number of magazine stories. He won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was started in 1958 by Dr. David C. Davis with the assistance of Prof. Lola Pierstorff, Director Instructional Materials Center, Univ. of Wisconsin and Madeline Allen Davis, WHA Wisconsin Public Radio. Awards were presented annually at the Wisconsin Book Conference...
in 1960 and the 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. ...
in 1942, for The Matchlock Gun
The Matchlock Gun
The Matchlock Gun is a novel by Walter D. Edmonds that won the Newbery Medal for excellence as the most distinguished contribution to American children's literature in 1942.-Synopsis:...
, and the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
for Children's Literature in 1976, for Bert Breen's Barn.
When Eleanor died in 1956, Walter married Katherine Howe Baker Carr, who died in 1989. Walter Edmonds died in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
, in 1998.
Novels
- Rome Haul (1929, novel)
- The Big Barn (1930, novel)
- Erie Water (1933, novel)
- Drums Along the Mohawk (1936, novel)
- Chad HannaChad HannaChad Hanna is a 1940 film directed by Henry King, and was adapted from a bestseller of sorts that was published that same year. The novel was written by Walter Dumaux Edmonds It stars Henry Fonda and Dorothy Lamour.-Cast:*Henry Fonda as Chad Hanna*Dorothy Lamour as...
(1940, novel) - The Matchlock Gun (1941, novel)
- Young Ames (1942, novel)
- The Wedding Journey (1947, novel)
- In the Hands of the Senecas (1947, novel)
- The Boyds of Black River (1953, novel)
- The Musket and the Cross (1968)
- Bert Breen's Barn (1975, juvenile novel)
- The South African Quirt (1985, novel)