Milton Meltzer
Encyclopedia
Milton Meltzer was an American historian
and author
best known for his history nonfiction books on Jewish, African-American and American
history. Since the 1950s, he was a leading author of history books in the children's literature
and young adult literature
genres, having written more than 100 books.
to Benjamin and Mary Meltzer, semi-literate immigrants from Austria-Hungary. One of three sons, Meltzer was the only child to graduate high school, furthering his education at Columbia University
from 1932 to 1936, he had to drop out of college before graduating to support his family after his father died of cancer. Meltzer became a writer for the Works Project Administration, a program designed by the Federal Government to provide jobs for the millions of unemployed during the Great Depression.
Meltzer wed Hilda "Hildy" Balinky on June 22, 1941. After serving in the Army during World War II, Meltzer was a writer for the CBS radio broadcasting network and later a public relations executive for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. While traveling the country for Pfizer, Meltzer did research at historical societies, local archives and museums and collected nearly 1,000 illustrations to begin a career writing history books with a focus on social justice. Meltzer co-authored with Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes, A Pictorial History of the Negro in America published in 1956.
The Meltzers had two daughters and two grandsons. Hildy Meltzer died in 2009. Meltzer most recently lived in New York City
where he died at the age of 94 from esophageal cancer.
, the antislavery movement of the nineteenth century United States, and the movement against antisemitism. He wrote several biographies, including ones of Langston Hughes
and Thomas Jefferson
, and though most of his books are nonfiction, he wrote at least one historical novel, The Underground Man, about a white abolitionist in the 1800s United States who is imprisoned for helping escaped slaves. Meltzer won numerous awards, both for individual books and his lifetime achievement, including the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
.
from esophageal cancer
on September 19, 2009, aged 94.
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and author
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
best known for his history nonfiction books on Jewish, African-American and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
history. Since the 1950s, he was a leading author of history books in the children's literature
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...
and young adult literature
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
genres, having written more than 100 books.
Life
Meltzer was born in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
to Benjamin and Mary Meltzer, semi-literate immigrants from Austria-Hungary. One of three sons, Meltzer was the only child to graduate high school, furthering his education at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1932 to 1936, he had to drop out of college before graduating to support his family after his father died of cancer. Meltzer became a writer for the Works Project Administration, a program designed by the Federal Government to provide jobs for the millions of unemployed during the Great Depression.
Meltzer wed Hilda "Hildy" Balinky on June 22, 1941. After serving in the Army during World War II, Meltzer was a writer for the CBS radio broadcasting network and later a public relations executive for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. While traveling the country for Pfizer, Meltzer did research at historical societies, local archives and museums and collected nearly 1,000 illustrations to begin a career writing history books with a focus on social justice. Meltzer co-authored with Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes, A Pictorial History of the Negro in America published in 1956.
The Meltzers had two daughters and two grandsons. Hildy Meltzer died in 2009. Meltzer most recently lived in New York City
New 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...
where he died at the age of 94 from esophageal cancer.
Writing
Meltzer's books often chronicled struggles for freedom, such as the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the antislavery movement of the nineteenth century United States, and the movement against antisemitism. He wrote several biographies, including ones of Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
and Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, and though most of his books are nonfiction, he wrote at least one historical novel, The Underground Man, about a white abolitionist in the 1800s United States who is imprisoned for helping escaped slaves. Meltzer won numerous awards, both for individual books and his lifetime achievement, including the 2001 Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal is a prize awarded by the American Library Association to writers or illustrators of children's books published in the United States who have over a period of years made substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature...
.
Other
Meltzer was an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a lecturer at universities in the United States and England, as well as professional meetings and seminars. He did work on various documentary films such as History of the American Negro and Five.Military
Meltzer served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, where he served as an air traffic controller and rose to the rank of sergeant.Death
Milton Meltzer died at his home 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...
from esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
on September 19, 2009, aged 94.
Works
- A Pictorial History of Black Americans, with Langston Hughes and C. Eric Hughes (originally entitled A Pictorial History of the Negro in America)
- All Times, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery
- Black Magic: A Pictorial History of the African-American in the Performing Arts, with Langston Hughes
- Bread-and Roses: The Struggle of American Labor *1865-1915*
- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
- Columbus: and the World Around Him
- "Edgar Allan Poe: a biography"
- Margaret Sanger: pioneer of birth control (co-author)
- Mark Twain Himself
- Milestones to American Liberty
- Nathaniel Hawthorne: a biography
- Never to forget: The Jews of the Holocaust
- Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust
- Starting From Home
- The American Revolutionaries: A History in their own words
- The Black Americans: A History in Their Own Words
- The Jewish Americans: A History in Their Own Words
- Thomas Jefferson: The Revolutionary Aristocrat
- Thoreau: People, Principles and Politics