Donald J. Sobol
Encyclopedia
Donald J. Sobol is an award-winning writer in Miami
, Florida
. He is best known for his children's books
, especially the Encyclopedia Brown
mystery
series.
, Sobol is the son of Ira J. and Ida (Gelula) Sobol. Donald attended the NYC Ethical Culture Fieldston School
and graduated from the Fieldston School in New York City in 1942. Sobol served with the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II
and served in the Pacific Theater
. Following the war, he attended Oberlin College
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
. He also attended the New School of Social Research.
He started his professional career as a copy boy for the New York Sun
, eventually working his way up to reporter. In 1949, he took a job at the New York Daily News
, and worked there for two years. After a brief stint as a buyer at Macy's
in New York, he moved to Florida and started writing full time.
He started writing the syndicated series Two-Minute Mysteries in 1959, starring criminologist Dr. Haledjian. It proved very popular and ran for more than ten years. In 1963, he started writing the Encyclopedia Brown
series, featuring amateur sleuth Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. Compared with the Two-Minute Mysteries series, which features crimes as serious as murder
, the Encyclopedia Brown books are more juvenile-oriented, often dealing with matters such as pranks or petty theft. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown titles have never been out of print and have been translated into twelve languages. In 1975, the Mystery Writers of America
honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a Special Edgar Award
. In 2007, Sobol released a new Encyclopedia Brown book, Encyclopedia Brown Cracks The Case.
Sobol also wrote the children's novel Secret Agents Four, in which a group of Miami teenagers attempt to thwart foreign saboteurs.
Sobol has written more than 65 books. In addition to the books he has written for children, Sobol has also written a number of nonfiction books on topics ranging from history to investing. He has also written and contributed to magazines under a variety of pen name
s. His manuscripts are stored at the University of Minnesota
, in the Kerlan Collection.
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He is best known for his children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, especially the Encyclopedia Brown
Encyclopedia Brown
Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is the main character in a long series of children's novels written by Donald J. Sobol since 1963.-Style:...
mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
series.
Background
Born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Sobol is the son of Ira J. and Ida (Gelula) Sobol. Donald attended the NYC Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Ethical Culture Fieldston School
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, known as "Fieldston", is a private "independent" school in New York City and a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. It has about 1600 students and a staff of 400 people , led by Dr. Damian J...
and graduated from the Fieldston School in New York City in 1942. Sobol served with the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served in the Pacific Theater
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. Following the war, he attended Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
. He also attended the New School of Social Research.
He started his professional career as a copy boy for the New York Sun
New York Sun (historical)
The Sun was a New York newspaper that was published from 1833 until 1950. It was considered a serious paper, like the city's two more successful broadsheets, The New York Times and the New York Herald Tribune...
, eventually working his way up to reporter. In 1949, he took a job at the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, and worked there for two years. After a brief stint as a buyer at Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
in New York, he moved to Florida and started writing full time.
He started writing the syndicated series Two-Minute Mysteries in 1959, starring criminologist Dr. Haledjian. It proved very popular and ran for more than ten years. In 1963, he started writing the Encyclopedia Brown
Encyclopedia Brown
Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown is the main character in a long series of children's novels written by Donald J. Sobol since 1963.-Style:...
series, featuring amateur sleuth Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. Compared with the Two-Minute Mysteries series, which features crimes as serious as murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, the Encyclopedia Brown books are more juvenile-oriented, often dealing with matters such as pranks or petty theft. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown titles have never been out of print and have been translated into twelve languages. In 1975, the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a Special Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
. In 2007, Sobol released a new Encyclopedia Brown book, Encyclopedia Brown Cracks The Case.
Sobol also wrote the children's novel Secret Agents Four, in which a group of Miami teenagers attempt to thwart foreign saboteurs.
Sobol has written more than 65 books. In addition to the books he has written for children, Sobol has also written a number of nonfiction books on topics ranging from history to investing. He has also written and contributed to magazines under a variety of pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s. His manuscripts are stored at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, in the Kerlan Collection.
Encyclopedia Brown series
The Encyclopedia Brown books, in order of publication (parenthesis indicate numbers on original release cover art):- (1) Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963, ISBN 0-525-67200-1, 1982 reissue ISBN 0-553-15724-8)
- (2) Encyclopedia Brown Strikes Again (the Case of the Secret Pitch) (1965, ISBN 0-590-01650-4, second title reissue ISBN 0-525-67202-8)
- (3) Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues (1966, ISBN 0-525-67204-4)
- (4) Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967, ISBN 0-525-67206-0)
- (5) Encyclopedia Brown Solves Them All (1968, ISBN 0-525-67212-5)
- (6) Encyclopedia Brown Keeps The Peace (1969, ISBN 0-525-67208-7)
- (7) Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970, ISBN 0-525-67210-9)
- (8) Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down (1971, ISBN 0-553-15721-3)
- (9) Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way (1972, ISBN 0-553-15142-X)
- (10) Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (1973, ISBN 0-553-15723-X)
- (11) Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand (1974, ISBN 0-553-48133-9, reissued as Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Exploding Plumbing and Other Mysteries, ISBN 0-590-44093-4)
- (12) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Dead Eagles (1975, ISBN 0-590-43343-1)
- (13) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977, ISBN 0-553-15586-5)
- (14) Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980, ISBN 0-02-786190-2)
- (15) Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace (1981, ISBN 0-02-786200-3)
- (15½) Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake (1982, ISBN 0-590-07843-7) (Co-written with Glenn Andrews)
- (16) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985, ISBN 0-553-15739-6)
- (17) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt (1988, ISBN 0-553-15650-0)
- (18) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Disgusting Sneakers (1990, ISBN 0-688-09012-5)
- (19) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Two Spies (1995, ISBN 0-385-32036-1)
- (20) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of Pablo's Nose (1996, ISBN 0-385-32184-8)
- (21) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Sleeping Dog (1998, ISBN 0-385-32576-2)
- (22) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander (2000, ISBN 0-385-32579-7)
- (23) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (2003, ISBN 0-385-72931-6)
- (24) Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case (2007, ISBN 978-0-525-47924-6)
- (25) Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth (2009, ISBN 978-0-525-42100-9)
- (26) Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFOs (2010, ISBN 978-0-525-42210-5)