John Martin's Book
Encyclopedia
John Martin's Book was a children's magazine aimed at five to eight year olds. Martin Gardner
has written that it was a "pioneering publication" and the "most entertaining magazine" aimed at this age group published in the US. Priced from 10 to 50 cents over its twenty year run, it was primarily purchased by middle and upper income families due to its cost.
"John Martin" was the pseudonym of Morgan van Roorbach Shepard (April 8, 1865-May 16, 1947). He was born in Brooklyn, New York but raised on a plantation in Maryland
and took his name from the colony of martins
that lived there. His mother died when he was nine, a crushing blow, and he was sent to a series of boarding schools where he was frequently bullied. As an adult, he claimed he was caught up in a revolution in Central America
. He ended up working a variety of jobs in California, including a streetcar conductor, where he was fired for giving free rides to children, a newspaper reporter, and a bank clerk. He opened a business designing greeting cards in the Crocker Building in San Francisco, California
, but it was demolished by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
and his leg was badly injured while he was trying to retrieve items from his office safe.
While recovering and bedridden he began writing children's stories and verse for publication. He began writing long, illustrated letters to children, which in 1908 became a small publication called John Martin's Letters he was mailing to 2000 children a month. In 1912, it became the magazine John Martin's Book.
The magazine included stories, illustrations, and puzzles. John Martin's House also published a series of hardcover John Martin Big Books reprinting material from the magazine. The magazine's puzzles were presented by a character named Peter Puzzlemaker. A collection of these puzzles was published by John Martin's House as Peter Puzzlemaker in 1922 and republished by Martin Gardner in the 1990s.
Shephard was assisted by Helen Jane Waldo (1876?-1937), who was associate editor during the entire run of the magazine. Notable writers and artists who contributed to John Martin's Book include Thornton Burgess
, Conrad Richter
, Grace Adele Pierce, Johnny Gruelle
, Justin Gruelle, Jack Yeats, William Wallace Denslow
, Frank Verbeck, and Wanda Gag
. The most important contributor was illustrator George Carlson
, who contributed over fifty covers and most of the puzzles, riddles, and activities to the magazine.
After the end of John Martin's Book, Shepard became juvenile director for the National Broadcasting Company.
Martin Gardner
Martin Gardner was an American mathematics and science writer specializing in recreational mathematics, but with interests encompassing micromagic, stage magic, literature , philosophy, scientific skepticism, and religion...
has written that it was a "pioneering publication" and the "most entertaining magazine" aimed at this age group published in the US. Priced from 10 to 50 cents over its twenty year run, it was primarily purchased by middle and upper income families due to its cost.
"John Martin" was the pseudonym of Morgan van Roorbach Shepard (April 8, 1865-May 16, 1947). He was born in Brooklyn, New York but raised on a plantation in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and took his name from the colony of martins
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
that lived there. His mother died when he was nine, a crushing blow, and he was sent to a series of boarding schools where he was frequently bullied. As an adult, he claimed he was caught up in a revolution in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. He ended up working a variety of jobs in California, including a streetcar conductor, where he was fired for giving free rides to children, a newspaper reporter, and a bank clerk. He opened a business designing greeting cards in the Crocker Building in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, but it was demolished by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
and his leg was badly injured while he was trying to retrieve items from his office safe.
While recovering and bedridden he began writing children's stories and verse for publication. He began writing long, illustrated letters to children, which in 1908 became a small publication called John Martin's Letters he was mailing to 2000 children a month. In 1912, it became the magazine John Martin's Book.
The magazine included stories, illustrations, and puzzles. John Martin's House also published a series of hardcover John Martin Big Books reprinting material from the magazine. The magazine's puzzles were presented by a character named Peter Puzzlemaker. A collection of these puzzles was published by John Martin's House as Peter Puzzlemaker in 1922 and republished by Martin Gardner in the 1990s.
Shephard was assisted by Helen Jane Waldo (1876?-1937), who was associate editor during the entire run of the magazine. Notable writers and artists who contributed to John Martin's Book include Thornton Burgess
Thornton Burgess
Thornton Waldo Burgess was a conservationist and author of children's stories. Burgess loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". He was sometimes known as the Bedtime Story-Man...
, Conrad Richter
Conrad Richter
Conrad Michael Richter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist whose lyrical work focuses on life along the American frontier.-Biography:...
, Grace Adele Pierce, Johnny Gruelle
Johnny Gruelle
Johnny Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator . He is known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy...
, Justin Gruelle, Jack Yeats, William Wallace Denslow
William Wallace Denslow
William Wallace Denslow – usually credited as W. W. Denslow – was an illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially his illustrations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, Frank Verbeck, and Wanda Gag
Wanda Gág
Wanda Hazel Gág was an American author and illustrator. She was born on March 11, 1893, in New Ulm, Minnesota. Her mother and father were of Bohemian descent. Both parents were artists who had met in Germany. They had seven children, who all acquired some level of artistic talent...
. The most important contributor was illustrator George Carlson
George L. Carlson
George Leonard Carlson was an illustrator and artist with numerous completed works, perhaps the most famous being the dust jacket for Gone with the Wind.-Tribute:...
, who contributed over fifty covers and most of the puzzles, riddles, and activities to the magazine.
After the end of John Martin's Book, Shepard became juvenile director for the National Broadcasting Company.
External links
- Cover gallery
- John Martin's book v. 1 (1916), full book at Hathi Trust
- John Martin's annual 1917, full book at Google Books