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July 2, 1892 - December 26, 1954 Merritt Parmelee Allen was born and raised in Bristol, Vermont on his family's ancestral home, a farm known as "The Maples". (He later moved out of the farm and into the town itself). Was struck by polio at age 17 while still in high school. Perseverance and effort paid off in that he was able to educate himself and create a successful career as a writer. As is with most authors, he garnered his share of rejection slips before selling his first items. His first sales were short stories to magazines: American Boy, Youth's Companion, St. Nicholas, and Boys' Life. He authored over 25 books in a period spanning more than thirty years, and most were children's historical novels - he had developed a deep passion for the history of the American frontier. Several of his stories were produced on NBC (I assume radio, not TV). Despite being a prolific and successful author, he is little remembered today, and I can find no record of him ever winning any sort of award for his work. None of his books are still in print. I must confess that I have never read any of his work other than the Mudhen series. There is a bibliography of Allen's works at the end of this page.
Until recently, I had not been able to find a photograph of him - even the biographical sources that routinely published photos had none. Thanks to Leslie Leggett of the Bristol Historical Society, we now have the portraits shown on this site. Sources: The Junior Book of Authors. Second edition, revised. Edited by Stanley J.Kunitz and Howard Haycraft. Wilson Authors Series. New York: H.W. WilsonCo., 1951. The Mudhen and "The Walrus". Page v. The Mudhen Acts Naturally. Book jacket. Something about the Author. Facts and pictures about authors and illustrators of books for young people. Volume 22. Detroit: Gale Research,1981. Links: List of Historical Fiction Writers Partway down the page are some recollections of Allen's historical fiction. |
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