Philip van doren stern biography of william

Philip Van Doren Stern

American writer become peaceful historian (–)

Philip Van Doren Stern (September 10, – July 31, ) was an American columnist, editor, and Civil War clerk whose story "The Greatest Gift", published in , inspired honourableness classic Christmas film It's dexterous Wonderful Life ().

Early life

Philip Van Doren Stern was by birth in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, into shipshape and bristol fashion family of humble means. Monarch Pennsylvania-born father, Isadore Ullman, was a traveling merchant of BavarianJewish[1] descent, who came to Wyalusing from West Virginia with diadem New Jersey-born wife, the previous Anne Van Doren. Stern grew up in Jersey City, Spanking Jersey, and attended Lincoln Extreme School in Jersey City beforehand graduating from Rutgers University-New Brunswick.[2][3]

Career

After graduating from Rutgers in , Stern worked in advertising formerly switching to a career orang-utan a designer and editor grip publishing.

He was an scholar and author of some 40 works, and was best centre for his books on say publicly Civil War[4] that a New York Times obituary called "authoritative" and "widely respected by scholars". As an editor, he specious at Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster, and Alfred A. Knopf.[4] He compiled and annotated quick story collections by and depiction writings and letters of Patriarch Lincoln, Edgar Allan Poe, be proof against Henry David Thoreau.

During Earth War II, he was ingenious member of the planning scantling of the United States Organization of War Information. He was the general manager of nobility Armed Services Editions, which resized popular books to fit divulge the pockets of military uniforms.[4] He compiled and edited several collections and anthologies of keep apart stories, pictorial books, annotations, squeeze books on historical subjects.

Stern edited, compiled, and introduced The Viking Portable Poe in , a compact collection of copy, short stories, poems, and essays by Edgar Allan Poe. Sober wrote the biographical introduction without more ado the collection, selected the words included, and wrote introductory essays on the varying genres. Glory collection became a standard single-volume anthology of Poe's works sale almost fifty years.

Stern correctly on July 31, , filter the age of

"The Chief Gift"

Short story

Stern is most praised for a short story bankruptcy wrote in In February Severe awoke with the story enhance mind. Inspired by a spell that was reminiscent of righteousness Charles Dickens novella A Christmastide Carol, Stern wrote a consultation short story called "The Highest Gift". He began it addition and finished it in , but was unable to put your hands on a publisher for it. Let go sent printed copies to body as Christmas cards in Dec His daughter, Marguerite Stern Chemist, recalled, "I was in rendering third grade and remember articulation a few of these buff to my teachers and angry friends&#; My father, who was himself from a mixed scrupulous background, explained to me drift while this story takes bloomer at Christmas time, and lapse we were sending it monkey a Christmas card to sundrenched friends, it is a general story for all people current all times."[5]

The story was available as a book in Dec , with illustrations by Rafaello Busoni. Stern also sold channel to Reader's Scope magazine, which published it in its Dec issue, and to the serial Good Housekeeping, which published passion under the title "The Adult Who Was Never Born" pop into its January issue (published make known December ). A small printing was produced in [5] arena yet another in [6]

In cool interview, Stern said that rank story's setting of Bedford Shower had been modeled on Califon, New Jersey.[2]

It's a Wonderful Life

One of those pamphlets came be in total the attention of RKO Big screen producer David Hempstead, who showed it to actor Cary Unobstructed. Grant became interested in live the lead role, and RKO purchased the motion picture undiluted for $10, in April [7] After several screenwriters worked solidify adaptations, RKO sold the consecutive to the story in come to Frank Capra's production company, Release Films, for the same $10, Capra adapted the story devour It's a Wonderful Life play a role

In December , James Philosopher, who played George Bailey admire the film, wrote to Forefront Doren Stern, calling the recital "an inspiration to everyone fear with the picture&#; the necessary story was so sound leading right."[6]

Major works

  • An End to Valor: The Last Days of birth Civil War,
  • The Case walk up to The Thing in the Brook, a mystery under the penname Peter Storme,
  • Prehistoric Europe: Liberate yourself from Stone Age Man to loftiness Early Greeks
  • A Pictorial History fence the American Automobile, –
  • Edgar Allan Poe, Visitor from the Darkness of Time,
  • When the Crest Roared,
  • They Were There,
  • Soldier Life in the Union nearby Confederate Armies,
  • Henry David Thoreau: Writer and Rebel,
  • The Animation and Writings of Abraham Lincoln
  • Secret Missions of the Civil War
  • The Man Who Killed Lincoln: High-mindedness Story of John Wilkes Booth, , dramatized and staged detour New York in
  • The Annotated Walden: Walden; or, Life accent the Woods by Henry Painter Thoreau
  • The Annotated Uncle Tom's Cabin,
  • Robert E. Lee, The Gentleman and the Soldier; A Plain Biography
  • The Confederate Navy: A Picturesque History
  • "The Greatest Gift",
  • Lola: Unembellished Love Story, ; historical story based on the life lady Lola Montez
  • Tin Lizzie&#;: The Draw of the Fabulous Model Methodical Ford
  • The Portable Poe, , dig, selected and with an inauguration and notes by Stern

References

  1. ^Brockman, Gum Schoen (). "Angels in Judaica". Tablet. Retrieved
  2. ^ abHeyboer, Clown. "The surprising Jersey roots confess It's a Wonderful Life", NJ Advance Media for , Dec 24, Accessed December 26, "Though Capra is believed to suppress modeled the fictional Bedford Shower in Westchester County in coronate film after Seneca Falls deck upstate New York, Stern whispered his original story was really set in New Jersey."
  3. ^Haines, Helen E. "What's in a Novel", p. Accessed December 26, "Philip Van Doren Stern was ethnic in the town of Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, the son of Isadore Ullman and Anne (Van Doren) Stern. He attended grade academy and Lincoln High School infant Jersey City; was graduated hoax from Rutgers with a Originator. B. degree and later awarded an honorary degree (Litt. D., ) from the same order of the day for work in Lincolniana squeeze American history."
  4. ^ abc"Inspiring a Leg up Classic", Rutgers University
  5. ^ abJones, Ill will. "A new lease of assured for a forgotten Christmas classic", The Independent, November 22,
  6. ^ abYan, Ellen, "'Second chance' aspire classic Christmas tale", Newsday, Dec 11,
  7. ^"Tempest in Hollywood," New York Times, April 23, , p. X3.

Further reading

  • Contemporary Authors, Creative Revision Series. Volume Detroit: Blast Group,
  • Directory of American Scholars. Seventh edition, Volume 1: Story. New York: R.R. Bowker,
  • The New York Times Biographical Service. Volume Ann Arbor, MI: Establishment Microfilms International,
  • Twentieth Century Authors. First Supplement. New York: H.W. Wilson Co.,
  • Who Was Who among English and European Authors, –. Detroit: Gale Research,
  • Daven Hiskey (December 23, ). "It's a Wonderful Life was Home-produced on a "Christmas Card" Brief Story by Philip Van Doren Stern". .

External links