Jump to content

Charles S. Strong: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m →Works: add missing word
diffusing by century
 
(38 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|American writer and adventurer}}
[[Image:Hardy boys cover 34.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Cover of [[The Hardy Boys]]: [[The Hooded Hawk Mystery]] written by Charles S. Strong]]
{{Redirect|William McClellan|the baseball player|Bill McClellan}}
⚫
'''Charles Stanley Strong''' (1906{{ndash}}62) was an author, adventurer and explorer.
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox writer
| embed =
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Charles S. Strong
| honorific_suffix =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1906|11|29}}
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1962|10|11|1906|11|29}}
| death_place = [[Hempstead, New York|Hempstead]], New York
| resting_place =
| occupation =
| language = English
| residence =
| nationality =
| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| home_town =
| period =
| genre = Mystery
| subject = [[Nancy Drew]]
| movement =
| notableworks = <!-- or: | notablework = -->
| spouse = <!-- or: | spouses = -->
| partner = <!-- or: | partners = -->
| children =
| relatives =
| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| years_active =
| module =
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.org}} -->
| portaldisp = <!-- "on", "yes", "true", etc.; or omit -->
}}


⚫
'''Charles Stanley Strong''' (November 29, 1906{{snd}}October 11, 1962) was an American writer, adventurer and explorer.
⚫
His pen names include '''Chuck Stanley''', '''William McClellan''', '''Carl Sturdy''', '''Kelvin McKay''', '''Nancy Bartlett''', '''Myron Keats''', '''Charles Stoddard''', '''Larry Regan''', the house names [[Carolyn Keene]] and [[Franklin W. Dixon]] and possibly several others.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=4bJlAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=%22charles+stanley+strong%22&source=bl&ots=P5l2lMFqRY&sig=bm1VQEit-9iPQKCIchjVXO4irVM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDQQ6AEwBDgKahUKEwiNg8OsqdbIAhVMGT4KHV8sA1g#v=onepage&q=%22charles%20stanley%20strong%22&f=false Detecting Canada: Essays on Canadian Crime Fiction, Television, and Film] Jeannette Sloniowski, Marilyn Rose; Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, March 25, 2014</ref><ref>[http://mcpl.us/catalogs/vcat/?b=b10733747 Wisconsin Valley Library Service catalog]</ref><ref>[http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/stoddard_charles Science Fiction Encyclopedia]</ref><ref>[http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no93017473.html Library of Congress Name Authority File] "Keats, Myron 1906-"</ref><ref name="Clarke">{{Cite book|title=Pseudonyms|author=Joseph F. Clarke|publisher=BCA|date=1977|page=239}}</ref>

⚫
His pen names include '''Chuck Stanley''', '''William McClellan''', '''Carl Sturdy''', '''Kelvin McKay''', '''Nancy Bartlett''', '''Myron Keats''', '''Charles Stoddard''', '''Larry Regan''', the house names [[Carolyn Keene]] and [[Franklin W. Dixon]] and possibly several others.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4bJlAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25 Detecting Canada: Essays on Canadian Crime Fiction, Television, and Film]'' Jeannette Sloniowski, Marilyn Rose; Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, March 25, 2014</ref><ref>[http://mcpl.us/catalogs/vcat/?b=b10733747 Wisconsin Valley Library Service catalog] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122220856/http://mcpl.us/catalogs/vcat/?b=b10733747 |date=November 22, 2015 }}</ref><ref>''[http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/stoddard_charles Science Fiction Encyclopedia]''</ref><ref>[http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no93017473.html Library of Congress Name Authority File] "Keats, Myron 1906–"</ref><ref name="Clarke">{{Cite book|title=Pseudonyms|author=Joseph F. Clarke|publisher=BCA|date=1977|page=239}}</ref> His own name was used as a pseudonym for other writers, including ''Samuel Epstein'' and ''Beryl Williams''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=AeYXAAAAMAAJ&q=%22charles+strong%22+spy ''Publishers Weekly'']</ref> He wrote the [[Hardy Boys]] book ''[[The Hooded Hawk Mystery]]''<ref>[http://www.keeline.com/Hardy_Boys.pdf ''Who Wrote the Hardy Boys? Secrets from the Syndicate Files Revealed''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104074639/http://www.keeline.com/Hardy_Boys.pdf |date=2019-11-04 }} James D. Keeline</ref> and the [[Nancy Drew]] book ''[[The Scarlet Slipper Mystery]]'',<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=WB5CnCXNcmAC&q=scarlet+slipper ''Rediscovering Nancy Drew''] Carolyn Stewart Dyer, Nancy Tillman Romalov; University of Iowa Press, 1995, page 155</ref> and once machine-gunned a shark from an airplane.<ref name = Eagle />


==Early life==
==Early life==
Born in Brooklyn, New York on November 29, 1906,<ref>[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJG-GGP6 Passport Application image]</ref> Strong studied at the [[Pace University|Pace Institute of Accounting and Law]] and [[University of Oslo|Royal Fredrick University]] Oslo <ref>{{Cite book|page=115|title=Lawmen in Scarlet: An Annotated Guide to Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Print and Performance|author=Bernard Alger Drew|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date= 1990|isbn=9780810823303}}</ref>
Born in Brooklyn, New York on November 29, 1906,<ref>[https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJG-GGP6 Passport Application image]</ref> Strong studied at the [[Pace University|Pace Institute of Accounting and Law]] and [[University of Oslo|Royal Fredrick University]] Oslo.<ref>{{Cite book|page=115|title=Lawmen in Scarlet: An Annotated Guide to Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Print and Performance|author=Bernard Alger Drew|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date= 1990|isbn=9780810823303}}</ref>


==Writing career==
==Writing career==
In 1931 the [[Brooklyn Eagle|Brooklyn Eagle Magazine]] carried a feature article titled ''Long Island Man Kills Sharks from Airplane'' by [[Joan Crockett]] which said
In 1931 the ''[[Brooklyn Eagle|Brooklyn Eagle Magazine]]'' carried a feature article titled ''Long Island Man Kills Sharks from Airplane'' by [[Joan Crockett]] which said
<blockquote>"For the past three years he has enjoyed a wide reputation as a traveler, explorer, lecturer and photographer. ... During the past seven years he has had more thrilling adventures than the hero of a dime novel. He has visited fifty different countries. He has explored unknown parts of Scandinavia. He has migrated across the frozen tundras with Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish Lapps. He has been shipwrecked off the coast of Norway. He has traced a lost colony of the old Norse civilization, taken part in a mapping expedition over northwestern Canada with the Canadian Royal Air Force, led a party across Finland from the northern end of the railway and shot a shark with a machine gun from an airplane. He is an honorary police commissioner in Norway, and a popular here on Sweden.<ref name=Eagle>[http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/59906662/ The Brooklyn Daily Eagle] Brooklyn Eagle Magazine, 25 January 1931</ref><ref>[[Svenska Dagbladet]] 1929-03-11 and [[Aftonbladet]] 1929-03-11</ref></blockquote>
{{blockquote|For the past three years he has enjoyed a wide reputation as a traveler, explorer, lecturer and photographer. ... During the past seven years he has had more thrilling adventures than the hero of a dime novel. He has visited fifty different countries. He has explored unknown parts of Scandinavia. He has migrated across the frozen tundras with Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish Lapps. He has been shipwrecked off the coast of Norway. He has traced a lost colony of the old Norse civilization, taken part in a mapping expedition over northwestern Canada with the Canadian Royal Air Force, led a party across Finland from the northern end of the railway and shot a shark with a machine gun from an airplane. He is an honorary police commissioner in Norway, and a popular hero in Sweden.<ref name=Eagle>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/59906662/ The Brooklyn Daily Eagle] Brooklyn Eagle Magazine, 25 January 1931</ref><ref>[[Svenska Dagbladet]] 1929-03-11 and [[Aftonbladet]] 1929-03-11</ref>}}


The article adds that a Norwegian newspaper called him "The American who knows Scandinavia thoroughly" and a Swedish newspaper "The American who discovered Sweden". He studied Scandinavian literature at the [[University of Oslo]], and his hobbies included riding, hunting, fishing, and automobile and motorboat racing. His "hydroaerographic chart" was used by European pilots. He proposed a peace plan after [[World War I]] to the [[Woodrow Wilson Foundation]] and the [[American-Scandinavian Foundation]].<ref name = Eagle />
The article adds that a Norwegian newspaper called him "The American who knows Scandinavia thoroughly" and a Swedish newspaper "The American who discovered Sweden".<ref name = Eagle /> He studied Scandinavian literature at the [[University of Oslo]], and his hobbies included riding, hunting, fishing, and automobile and motorboat racing. His "hydroaerographic chart" was used by European pilots. He proposed a peace plan after [[World War I]] to the [[Woodrow Wilson Foundation]] and the [[American-Scandinavian Foundation]].<ref name = Eagle />


Strong was one of the authors who popularized the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] in fiction, with his leading characters: Corporal Buchanan and Constable Carter of the RCMP, writing as Charles Stoddard.<ref>{{Cite book|page=25|work=Detecting Canada: Essays on Canadian Crime Fiction, Television, and Film|others=Jeannette Sloniowski, Marilyn Rose (editors)|publisher=Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press|date=2014|isbn=9781554589272|title=Canadian Crime Writing in English|author=David Skene-Melvin}}</ref>
Strong was one of the authors who popularized the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] in fiction, with his leading characters: Corporal Buchanan and Constable Carter of the RCMP, writing as Charles Stoddard.<ref>{{Cite book|page=25|work=Detecting Canada: Essays on Canadian Crime Fiction, Television, and Film|others=Jeannette Sloniowski, Marilyn Rose (editors)|publisher=Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press|date=2014|isbn=9781554589272|title=Canadian Crime Writing in English|author=David Skene-Melvin}}</ref>


He wrote one of the chapters, "Twelve Days Eastward", in [[Conquerors of the Sky]] by [[Joseph Lewis French]] which has an introduction by [[Amelia Earhart]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2nVGAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22conquerors+of+the+sky%22++french+earhart+charles&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22charles+s.+strong%22] Mcloughlin Brothers, 1932</ref>
He wrote one of the chapters, "Twelve Days Eastward", in ''[[Conquerors of the Sky]]'' by [[Joseph Lewis French]], which has an introduction by [[Amelia Earhart]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2nVGAAAAYAAJ&q=%22charles+s.+strong%22] Mcloughlin Brothers, 1932</ref>


He was even mentioned in the [[Iceland|Icelandic newspaper]] [[Morgunblaðið]] on November 1, 1928, describing him as the editor of the ''Scandinavian American News Bureau''.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=101568&pageId=1216835&lang=4&q=Charles Strong Charles Strong] ''Charles S. Strong. Meðal farþega á Lyru í kvöld er Mr. Charles S. Strong, ritstjóri Scandinavian American News Bureau í New York.'' Roughly:"Charles S. Strong. Among the passengers on the Lyre tonight is Mr. Charles S. Strong, editor of Scandinavian American News Bureau in New York. - Mr. Strong said he was very impressed by the acceptance he had received throughout Hjerting (in Denmark) ..." (note: The [[Kingdom of Iceland]] was then in existence)</ref>
He was even mentioned in the Icelandic newspaper ''[[Morgunblaðið]]'' on November 1, 1928, describing him as the editor of the ''Scandinavian American News Bureau''.<ref>[http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?issId=101568&pageId=1216835&lang=4&q=Charles Strong Charles Strong] ''Charles S. Strong. Meðal farþega á Lyru í kvöld er Mr. Charles S. Strong, ritstjóri Scandinavian American News Bureau í New York.'' Roughly:"Charles S. Strong. Among the passengers on the Lyre tonight is Mr. Charles S. Strong, editor of Scandinavian American News Bureau in New York. – Mr. Strong said he was very impressed by the acceptance he had received throughout Hjerting (in Denmark) ..." (note: The [[Kingdom of Iceland]] was then in existence)</ref>


Strong was also the New York correspondent for the short-lived radio publication ''What's On the Air'' circa 1931.<ref>[http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Whats-On-The-Air/Whats-On-The-Air-1931-03.pdf American Radio History] ''What's On the Air'' vol.2 no. 5, March 1931 page 10</ref>
Strong was also the New York correspondent for the short-lived radio publication ''What's On the Air'' circa 1931.<ref>[http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Whats-On-The-Air/Whats-On-The-Air-1931-03.pdf American Radio History] ''What's On the Air'' vol.2 no. 5, March 1931 page 10</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
Strong died at the age of 55 on October 11, 1962.<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DE3DB163AE23ABC4A52DFB6678389679EDE Obituary in The New York Times] October 12, 1962</ref>
Strong died in [[Hempstead, New York]] at the age of 55 on October 11, 1962.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/10/12/archives/charles-strong-explorer-dead-author-of-boys-books-was-55studied-the.html |title=Charles Strong, Explorer, Dead |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=Manhasset, Long Island |page=31 |date=October 12, 1962 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>


==Works==
==Works==
*''Ranger, Sea Dog of the Royal Mounted'' (1948)<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A03E6DF1F3CE03ABC4051DFB5668383659EDE New York Times book Review] Frances Smith, March 24, 1948, Book ASIN=B00502E7UC</ref><ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong/ranger-sea-dog-of-the-royal-mounted/about Kirkus Reviews] "Canadian Arctic, vivid descriptions of the Eskimos, and the trail of explorers, these are freshly described by the author who is an experienced Arctic traveler as well as the author of many stories and articles"</ref> About a [[Samoyed (dog)|Samoyed]] pup which becomes an accomplished sailor.
* ''Ranger, Sea Dog of the Royal Mounted'' (1948)<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/03/28/archives/ranger-sea-dog-of-the-royal-mounted-by-charles-strong-illustrated.html |title=Ranger, Sea Dog of the Royal Mounted |magazine=[[The New York Times Book Review]] |first=Frances |last=Smith |page=BR33 |date=March 24, 1948 |url-access=subscription}} Book ASIN=B00502E7UC</ref><ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong/ranger-sea-dog-of-the-royal-mounted/ ''Kirkus Reviews''] "Canadian Arctic, vivid descriptions of the Eskimos, and the trail of explorers, these are freshly described by the author who is an experienced Arctic traveler as well as the author of many stories and articles"</ref> About a [[Samoyed (dog)|Samoyed]] pup which becomes an accomplished sailor.
*''South Pole Husky'' (1950).<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-2/south-pole-husky/ Kirkus Reviews] "One could wish that Charles Strong, whose own adventurous life should provide many an exciting true story, had not submerged a good yarn in somewhat uncoordinated factual minutiae"</ref>
* ''South Pole Husky'' (1950).<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-2/south-pole-husky/ ''Kirkus Reviews''] "One could wish that Charles Strong, whose own adventurous life should provide many an exciting true story, had not submerged a good yarn in somewhat uncoordinated factual minutiae"</ref>
* ''Ranger's Arctic Patrol'' (1952)
* ''Ranger's Arctic Patrol'' (1952)
*''[[We Were There|We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole]]''(1956) (illus. ''J. Graham Kaye'') <ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-3/with-byrd-at-the-south-pole/ Kirkus Reviews] "Vic and the son of a Los Angeles dog biscuit maker, is given the chance to follow the Byrd ex by Captain Nilsen whose Norwegian whaling ship is acting as a supplier"</ref>
* ''[[We Were There|We Were There with Byrd at the South Pole]]''(1956) (illus. ''J. Graham Kaye'')<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-3/with-byrd-at-the-south-pole/ ''Kirkus Reviews''] "Vic and the son of a Los Angeles dog biscuit maker, is given the chance to follow the Byrd ex by Captain Nilsen whose Norwegian whaling ship is acting as a supplier"</ref>
*''The Real Book About the Antarctic'' (1959) writetn for the [[International Geophysical Year]].<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-2/the-real-book-about-the-antarctic/ Kirkus Reviews] "this text with 25 line cuts by Albert Orbaan presents a forceful picture of the still unconquered South Pole."</ref>
* ''The Real Book About the Antarctic'' (1959) written for the [[International Geophysical Year]].<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-2/the-real-book-about-the-antarctic/ ''Kirkus Reviews''] "this text with 25 line cuts by Albert Orbaan presents a forceful picture of the still unconquered South Pole."</ref>
*''The Story of American Sailing Ships'' (illustrated by [[Gordon Grant (artist)|Gordon Hope Grant]])<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-5/the-story-of-american-sailing-ships/ Kirkus Reviews] "Superb drawings by Gordon Grant and H.B. Vestal hail the equally fine sea-swept history of great American vessels; of schooners, sloops, whalers; of great naval engagements in The Story of American Sailing Ships. Iron men and wooden ships and their part in America's history, told with spanking illustrations and memorable style."</ref>
* ''The Story of American Sailing Ships'' (illustrated by [[Gordon Grant (artist)|Gordon Hope Grant]])<ref>[https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/charles-s-strong-5/the-story-of-american-sailing-ships/ ''Kirkus Reviews''] "Superb drawings by Gordon Grant and H.B. Vestal hail the equally fine sea-swept history of great American vessels; of schooners, sloops, whalers; of great naval engagements in The Story of American Sailing Ships. Iron men and wooden ships and their part in America's history, told with spanking illustrations and memorable style."</ref>
* ''North of the Stars'' as Charles Stoddard (Dodge, New Yiork 1937 256 pp)
* ''North of the Stars'' as Charles Stoddard (Dodge, New York 1937 256 pp)
* ''Bullwacker'' as Larry Regan (1955 W. Foulsham & Company, 150pp)
* ''Bullwacker'' as Larry Regan (1955 W. Foulsham & Company, 150pp)


He was a noted writer of series books, including a [[The Hardy Boys|Hardy Boys]] book for the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate]] in 1954, ([[The Hooded Hawk Mystery]] Hardy boys#34), ''[[Lassie|Lassie: Treasure Hunter]]'', the [[Nancy Drew]] book [[The Scarlet Slipper Mystery]] (Nancy Drew#32) based on an outline by [[Harriet S. Adams]]. He wrote a series of books about ''Snow King, Herd Dog of Lapland'' based on his 1928 treks in [[Sápmi|Lapland]].<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9803E5DE123AEE32A25751C1A96E9C946995D6CF AUTHOR TO WINTER WITH ARCTIC LAPPS; Charles S. Strong Sails on Gripsholm to Make Long Trek With Mongolian Tribe. TO STUDY LIVES AND HABITS Also Intends to Collect Scandinavian Dolls for Brooklyn institute of Arts.] The New York Times; August 12, 1928</ref><ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D05E2D7153AE53BBC4E53DFB066838F649EDE Life Among the Lapps; SNOW KING, Herd Dog of Lapland] The New York Times; GEORGE A. WOODS; June 6, 1954</ref>
He was a noted writer of series books, including a [[The Hardy Boys|Hardy Boys]] book for the [[Stratemeyer Syndicate]] in 1954, ([[The Hooded Hawk Mystery]] Hardy boys#34), ''[[Lassie|Lassie: Treasure Hunter]]'', the [[Nancy Drew]] book [[The Scarlet Slipper Mystery]] (Nancy Drew#32) based on an outline by [[Harriet S. Adams]]. He wrote a series of books about ''Snow King, Herd Dog of Lapland'' based on his 1928 treks in [[Sápmi|Lapland]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/08/12/archives/author-to-winter-with-arctic-lapps-charles-s-strong-sails-on.html |title=Author to Winter With Arctic Lapps; Charles S. Strong Sails on Gripsholm to Make Long Trek With Mongolian Tribe. To Study Lives and Habits; Also Intends to Collect Scandinavian Dolls for Brooklyn institute of Arts. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=N1 |date=August 12, 1928 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/06/06/archives/life-among-the-lapps-snow-king-herd-dog-of-lapland-by-charles-s.html |title=Life Among the Lapps; Snow King, Herd Dog of Lapland |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=Book 33 |first=George A. |last=Woods |date=June 6, 1954 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>


He wrote a two page text article for [[List of Standard Comics publications|Real Life Comics #2 (1941)]] ''Light of Liberty'' about the [[Statue of Liberty]].<ref>[http://comics.lib.msu.edu/rri/nrri/new_yo.htm Michigan State University Libraries] Special Collections Division Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection '' "The story of the symbol of freedom greeting Americans and their neighbors in New York Harbor."''</ref>
He wrote a two-page text article for [[List of Standard Comics publications|Real Life Comics#2 (1941)]] ''Light of Liberty'' about the [[Statue of Liberty]].<ref>[http://comics.lib.msu.edu/rri/nrri/new_yo.htm Michigan State University Libraries] Special Collections Division Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection '' "The story of the symbol of freedom greeting Americans and their neighbors in New York Harbor."''</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|25em}}

== External links ==

* {{LCAuth|no93017271|Charles S. Strong|69|}} under that name and points of entry to numerous pseudonyms


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 47: Line 98:
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:1962 deaths]]
[[Category:American aviators]]
[[Category:American aviators]]
[[Category:American male writers]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American columnists]]
[[Category:American explorers]]
[[Category:20th-century American explorers]]
[[Category:American science fiction writers]]
[[Category:American science fiction writers]]
[[Category:American short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American short story writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:The Hardy Boys]]
[[Category:The Hardy Boys]]
[[Category:Nancy Drew]]
[[Category:Nancy Drew]]
[[Category:Writers from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Pace University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Oslo alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]

Latest revision as of 14:27, 9 November 2024

"William McClellan" redirects here. For the baseball player, see Bill McClellan.

Charles S. Strong
Born(1906-11-29)November 29, 1906
Brooklyn, New York
DiedOctober 11, 1962(1962-10-11) (aged 55)
Hempstead, New York
LanguageEnglish
GenreMystery
SubjectNancy Drew

Charles Stanley Strong (November 29, 1906 – October 11, 1962) was an American writer, adventurer and explorer.

His pen names include Chuck Stanley, William McClellan, Carl Sturdy, Kelvin McKay, Nancy Bartlett, Myron Keats, Charles Stoddard, Larry Regan, the house names Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon and possibly several others.[1][2][3][4][5] His own name was used as a pseudonym for other writers, including Samuel Epstein and Beryl Williams.[6] He wrote the Hardy Boys book The Hooded Hawk Mystery[7] and the Nancy Drew book The Scarlet Slipper Mystery,[8] and once machine-gunned a shark from an airplane.[9]

Early life

[edit]

Born in Brooklyn, New York on November 29, 1906,[10] Strong studied at the Pace Institute of Accounting and Law and Royal Fredrick University Oslo.[11]

Writing career

[edit]

In 1931 the Brooklyn Eagle Magazine carried a feature article titled Long Island Man Kills Sharks from Airplane by Joan Crockett which said

For the past three years he has enjoyed a wide reputation as a traveler, explorer, lecturer and photographer. ... During the past seven years he has had more thrilling adventures than the hero of a dime novel. He has visited fifty different countries. He has explored unknown parts of Scandinavia. He has migrated across the frozen tundras with Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish Lapps. He has been shipwrecked off the coast of Norway. He has traced a lost colony of the old Norse civilization, taken part in a mapping expedition over northwestern Canada with the Canadian Royal Air Force, led a party across Finland from the northern end of the railway and shot a shark with a machine gun from an airplane. He is an honorary police commissioner in Norway, and a popular hero in Sweden.[9][12]

The article adds that a Norwegian newspaper called him "The American who knows Scandinavia thoroughly" and a Swedish newspaper "The American who discovered Sweden".[9] He studied Scandinavian literature at the University of Oslo, and his hobbies included riding, hunting, fishing, and automobile and motorboat racing. His "hydroaerographic chart" was used by European pilots. He proposed a peace plan after World War I to the Woodrow Wilson Foundation and the American-Scandinavian Foundation.[9]

Strong was one of the authors who popularized the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in fiction, with his leading characters: Corporal Buchanan and Constable Carter of the RCMP, writing as Charles Stoddard.[13]

He wrote one of the chapters, "Twelve Days Eastward", in Conquerors of the Sky by Joseph Lewis French, which has an introduction by Amelia Earhart.[14]

He was even mentioned in the Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið on November 1, 1928, describing him as the editor of the Scandinavian American News Bureau.[15]

Strong was also the New York correspondent for the short-lived radio publication What's On the Air circa 1931.[16]

Death

[edit]

Strong died in Hempstead, New York at the age of 55 on October 11, 1962.[17]

Works

[edit]

He was a noted writer of series books, including a Hardy Boys book for the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1954, (The Hooded Hawk Mystery Hardy boys#34), Lassie: Treasure Hunter, the Nancy Drew book The Scarlet Slipper Mystery (Nancy Drew#32) based on an outline by Harriet S. Adams. He wrote a series of books about Snow King, Herd Dog of Lapland based on his 1928 treks in Lapland.[24][25]

He wrote a two-page text article for Real Life Comics#2 (1941) Light of Liberty about the Statue of Liberty.[26]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Detecting Canada: Essays on Canadian Crime Fiction, Television, and Film Jeannette Sloniowski, Marilyn Rose; Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, March 25, 2014
  2. ^ Wisconsin Valley Library Service catalog Archived November 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Science Fiction Encyclopedia
  4. ^ Library of Congress Name Authority File "Keats, Myron 1906–"
  5. ^ Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 239.
  6. ^ Publishers Weekly
  7. ^ Who Wrote the Hardy Boys? Secrets from the Syndicate Files Revealed Archived 2019-11-04 at the Wayback Machine James D. Keeline
  8. ^ Rediscovering Nancy Drew Carolyn Stewart Dyer, Nancy Tillman Romalov; University of Iowa Press, 1995, page 155
  9. ^ a b c d The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Brooklyn Eagle Magazine, 25 January 1931
  10. ^ Passport Application image
  11. ^ Bernard Alger Drew (1990). Lawmen in Scarlet: An Annotated Guide to Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Print and Performance. Scarecrow Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780810823303.
  12. ^ Svenska Dagbladet 1929-03-11 and Aftonbladet 1929-03-11
  13. ^ David Skene-Melvin (2014). Canadian Crime Writing in English. Jeannette Sloniowski, Marilyn Rose (editors). Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. p. 25. ISBN 9781554589272. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. ^ [1] Mcloughlin Brothers, 1932
  15. ^ Strong Charles Strong Charles S. Strong. Meðal farþega á Lyru í kvöld er Mr. Charles S. Strong, ritstjóri Scandinavian American News Bureau í New York. Roughly:"Charles S. Strong. Among the passengers on the Lyre tonight is Mr. Charles S. Strong, editor of Scandinavian American News Bureau in New York. – Mr. Strong said he was very impressed by the acceptance he had received throughout Hjerting (in Denmark) ..." (note: The Kingdom of Iceland was then in existence)
  16. ^ American Radio History What's On the Air vol.2 no. 5, March 1931 page 10
  17. ^ "Charles Strong, Explorer, Dead". The New York Times. Manhasset, Long Island. October 12, 1962. p. 31.
  18. ^ Smith, Frances (March 24, 1948). "Ranger, Sea Dog of the Royal Mounted". The New York Times Book Review. p. BR33. Book ASIN=B00502E7UC
  19. ^ Kirkus Reviews "Canadian Arctic, vivid descriptions of the Eskimos, and the trail of explorers, these are freshly described by the author who is an experienced Arctic traveler as well as the author of many stories and articles"
  20. ^ Kirkus Reviews "One could wish that Charles Strong, whose own adventurous life should provide many an exciting true story, had not submerged a good yarn in somewhat uncoordinated factual minutiae"
  21. ^ Kirkus Reviews "Vic and the son of a Los Angeles dog biscuit maker, is given the chance to follow the Byrd ex by Captain Nilsen whose Norwegian whaling ship is acting as a supplier"
  22. ^ Kirkus Reviews "this text with 25 line cuts by Albert Orbaan presents a forceful picture of the still unconquered South Pole."
  23. ^ Kirkus Reviews "Superb drawings by Gordon Grant and H.B. Vestal hail the equally fine sea-swept history of great American vessels; of schooners, sloops, whalers; of great naval engagements in The Story of American Sailing Ships. Iron men and wooden ships and their part in America's history, told with spanking illustrations and memorable style."
  24. ^ "Author to Winter With Arctic Lapps; Charles S. Strong Sails on Gripsholm to Make Long Trek With Mongolian Tribe. To Study Lives and Habits; Also Intends to Collect Scandinavian Dolls for Brooklyn institute of Arts". The New York Times. August 12, 1928. p. N1.
  25. ^ Woods, George A. (June 6, 1954). "Life Among the Lapps; Snow King, Herd Dog of Lapland". The New York Times. p. Book 33.
  26. ^ Michigan State University Libraries Special Collections Division Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection "The story of the symbol of freedom greeting Americans and their neighbors in New York Harbor."
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Charles_S._Strong&oldid=1256351554"