—By Arden Dore Need a few extra-credit points in English class? Impress your teacher with your knowledge of book trivia. The first public library in America was opened in Charleston, South…
Full names of famous authorstracked down by Holly Hartman Ever wonder what the two R's stand for in J. R. R. Tolkien? Curious about whether S. E. Hinton is a man or a woman? It used to be common…
(Encyclopedia) Snyder, Gary, 1930–, American poet, b. San Francisco. Associated with the beat generation of the 1950s, he lived (1956–68) in Japan, where he trained as a Zen monk. His poetry,…
(Encyclopedia) Hill, Daniel Harvey, 1821–89, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. York District, S.C. He served in the Mexican War but resigned from the army in 1849. He was professor of…
(Encyclopedia) Gonzales, Pancho (Richard Alonzo Gonzales)Gonzales, Panchogŏnzălˈĭs [key], 1928–95, American tennis player, b. Los Angeles, of Mexican parentage. After two straight wins in both the U.…
(Encyclopedia) Jamal, Ahmad, 1930–, American jazz pianist, b. Pittsburgh, Pa. He started playing the piano at the age of three and became interested in jazz during the bop era. He began playing…
(Encyclopedia) Bowie, JamesBowie, Jamesb&oomacr;ˈē, bōˈē [key], c.1796–1836, American frontiersman, b. Logan co., Ky. With his brother, Rezin, he engaged in land speculation in Louisiana and…
(Encyclopedia) Boyd, Belle, 1844–1900, Confederate spy in the Civil War, b. Martinsburg, Va. (now W.Va.). Operating (probably unofficially) in Martinsburg and Front Royal, she provided Gen. T. J. (…
(Encyclopedia) Maturin, Charles RobertMaturin, Charles Robertmătˈy&oobreve;rĭn [key], 1782–1824, Irish author. A minister by vocation, he wrote novels in the manner of the Gothic horror tale of…
(Encyclopedia) Ziegfeld, FlorenzZiegfeld, Florenzflôrˈənz zēgˈfĕld [key], 1869–1932, American theatrical producer, b. Chicago. The talent manager son of a German immigrant, in 1907 he first produced…
