William Taylor Adams
William Taylor Adams (July 30, 1822 – March 27, 1897), was an American writer and children's magazine editor. He used the pen name "Oliver Optic". Adams was born in Medway, Massachusetts.
William Taylor Adams | |
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| Born | William Taylor Adams July 30, 1822 Medway, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 27, 1897 Dorchester, Massachusetts |
| Resting place | Cedar Grove Cemetery Dorchester, Massachusetts |
| Pen name | Oliver Optic (pen name) |
| Occupation | Writer Magazine editor |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Boys' books Magazine stories Sentimental poetry |
| Notable works | The Boat Club The Blue and the Gray Other series books for boys Three children's magazines |
In 1853, he wrote his first novel, Hatchie, the Guardian Slave. Adams taught in the Boston public schools for many years. While teaching, he discovered what kinds of books boys liked best. In 1855, he wrote The Boat Club series for boys. This series was a great success. He wrote many more boys' series.
In 1865, he stopped teaching. He wanted to devote all his time to writing. He became editor of the children's magazines The Student and Schoolmate, Our Little Ones, and Oliver Optic's Magazine: Our Boys and Girls. He served in the Massachusetts legislature for one year. Adams died at his home in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1897.
Children's writer Louisa May Alcott did not like his books. She did not like the slang and settings such as saloons. Librarians did not like Adams's books either. They threw them away. They also threw away the books of other boys' writers. Adams kept writing boys' books though. He got good reviews from the critics. His books sold well. They were reprinted many times.
Gallery
All Adrift title page
Adams's house in Dorchester, Massachusetts
Our Boys and Girls cover
Student and Schoolmate, August 1867
Our Boys and Girls
Half page title for The Birthday Party
William Taylor Adams Media
Oliver Optic's Sailor boy, or, Jack Somers in the navy (Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1863
References
- William Taylor Adams Archived 2013-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
- Dorchester Athenaeum Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
Other websites
- Biographical essay in PDF
- Biographical essay at the Dorchester Aethenaeum site Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
- Works by Oliver Optic at Project Gutenberg (plain text and HTML)
- Works by Oliver Optic at Internet Archive (scanned books original editions illustrated)
- Works by William Taylor Adams at Internet Archive