Lew Dietz
Encyclopedia
Lew Dietz was an American writer, much of whose work centered on his native Maine
. In a long career he produced 20 books and hundreds of magazine articles for Down East magazine (which he helped establish), True
, Yankee
, Redbook
, Coast Fisherman and Outdoors Maine among others.
Dietz was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from New York University
, but he lived much of his life in and near Rockport, Maine
. In his youth, he was a foreign correspondent in Paris and a copywriter in New York.
Perhaps his best known work (with Harry Goodridge) was A Seal Called Andre, based on the true story of an orphaned baby seal that learned to perform tricks and became a popular tourist attraction in Rockport. The 1975 book remains in print; the book was the source for the film Andre
(1995).
He was also well known for the Jeff White books, young adult novels on outdoor themes:
Other books included The Story of Boothbay (1937), Camden Hills. An Informal History of the Camden-Rockport Region (1947), The Allagash, (1968, 1978, 2001), originally published as part of the Rivers of America Series
); Touch of Wildness A Maine Woods Journal (1970); Pines for the King's Navy, (1955), concerning the struggle among settlers, Indians, and the British king for Maine's timber, and Full Fathom Five (1958), illustrated by his wife, the artist Denny Winter. Other juvenile titles, all with Maine settings, are Wilderness River (1961); The Savage Summer (1964), also illustrated by Denny Winter and The Year of the Big Cat (1970)
In 1977 Dietz wrote the text for Night Train at Wiscasset Station: An Unforgettable Portrait of Maine and Its People, a Maine classic. Reissued in 1998, the book combines Dietz's words with Kosti Ruohomaa's (1914-1961) black and white photographs of ordinary rural and fishing industry Mainers.
Dietz died at the age of 90 at a hospital in Rockport, Maine.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. In a long career he produced 20 books and hundreds of magazine articles for Down East magazine (which he helped establish), True
True (magazine)
True, also known as True, The Man's Magazine, was published by Fawcett Publications from 1937 until 1974. Known as True, A Man's Magazine in the 1930s, it was labeled True, #1 Man's Magazine in the 1960s. Petersen Publishing took over with the January 1975, issue...
, Yankee
Yankee (magazine)
Yankee Magazine was founded in 1935 and is based in Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the only magazine devoted to New England through its coverage of travel, home, food, and features...
, Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...
, Coast Fisherman and Outdoors Maine among others.
Dietz was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, but he lived much of his life in and near Rockport, Maine
Rockport, Maine
Rockport is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,209 at the 2000 census. Rockport is a popular tourist destination and art colony.-History:...
. In his youth, he was a foreign correspondent in Paris and a copywriter in New York.
Perhaps his best known work (with Harry Goodridge) was A Seal Called Andre, based on the true story of an orphaned baby seal that learned to perform tricks and became a popular tourist attraction in Rockport. The 1975 book remains in print; the book was the source for the film Andre
Andre (film)
Andre is a 1994 feature film starring Tina Majorino about a child's encounter with a seal. The film is an adaptation of the book A Seal Called Andre, which in turn was based on a true story.-Plot:...
(1995).
He was also well known for the Jeff White books, young adult novels on outdoor themes:
- Jeff White, Young Guide (1951)
- Jeff White, Young Lumberjack (1952)
- Jeff White, Young Trapper (1951)
- Jeff White, Young Woodsman (1949)
Other books included The Story of Boothbay (1937), Camden Hills. An Informal History of the Camden-Rockport Region (1947), The Allagash, (1968, 1978, 2001), originally published as part of the Rivers of America Series
Rivers of America Series
The Rivers of America Series is a landmark series of books on American rivers, for the most part written by literary figures rather than historians. The series spanned three publishers and thirty-seven years.- History :...
); Touch of Wildness A Maine Woods Journal (1970); Pines for the King's Navy, (1955), concerning the struggle among settlers, Indians, and the British king for Maine's timber, and Full Fathom Five (1958), illustrated by his wife, the artist Denny Winter. Other juvenile titles, all with Maine settings, are Wilderness River (1961); The Savage Summer (1964), also illustrated by Denny Winter and The Year of the Big Cat (1970)
In 1977 Dietz wrote the text for Night Train at Wiscasset Station: An Unforgettable Portrait of Maine and Its People, a Maine classic. Reissued in 1998, the book combines Dietz's words with Kosti Ruohomaa's (1914-1961) black and white photographs of ordinary rural and fishing industry Mainers.
Dietz died at the age of 90 at a hospital in Rockport, Maine.