Jack Snow (writer) facts for kids
John Frederick "Jack" Snow (born August 15, 1907 – died July 13, 1956) was an American writer. He was born in Piqua, Ohio. Jack Snow wrote radio shows, ghost stories, and was an expert on the books of L. Frank Baum, who created the Land of Oz.
When L. Frank Baum passed away in 1919, Jack Snow was only twelve years old. He bravely offered to become the next "Royal Historian of Oz." However, the publisher, Reilly & Lee, kindly turned him down. Even so, Snow later wrote two official Oz books: The Magical Mimics in Oz (1946) and The Shaggy Man of Oz (1949). He also wrote Who's Who in Oz (1954), which is a detailed guide to all the amazing Oz characters. All these books were published by Reilly & Lee.
Contents
Early Life and Radio Career
Jack Snow was very talented from a young age. In his second year of high school, he started the first radio review column in American journalism. This column appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper.
After finishing school, Snow worked in journalism and mostly in radio. He even spent some time in teachers college and the U.S. Army. He is the person who named the Ohio radio station WING. He also worked for seven years at the National Broadcasting Company in New York. In 1944, he tried to convince NBC to create a radio show based on stories by another famous writer, Ray Bradbury.
Writing Horror and Ghost Stories
Jack Snow was also known for his spooky stories. He published five tales in a famous magazine called Weird Tales over twenty years. These stories were:
- "Night Wings" (September 1927)
- "Poison" (December 1928)
- "Second Childhood" (March 1945)
- "Seed" (January 1946)
- "Midnight" (May 1946)
Most of these stories, except "Second Childhood," were collected in his book Dark Music and Other Spectral Tales (1947). "Seed" was also reprinted in a later collection called Weird Tales: The Magazine That Never Dies in 1988.
Dark Music and Ray Bradbury
When Jack Snow put together his Dark Music collection in 1947, he wanted it to include his best stories. One of these was "Midnight," which had appeared in Weird Tales in May 1946. Ray Bradbury, another well-known writer, agreed to write the introduction for Snow's book.
However, the publisher wanted to add more of Snow's very early stories to the book. Ray Bradbury, who was only twenty-six at the time, read these extra stories and decided not to write the introduction. He felt they were not good enough to be published.
There were rumors that the book covers for Dark Music had to be changed to hide Bradbury's name. But no one has ever found a copy with his name covered up. Jack Snow once wrote to Bradbury, saying, "You are a literary craftsman with ambitions to become a skilled and recognized artist in the field. I have no such ambitions. I want to write because I enjoy it."
Other Horror Stories
Jack Snow also wrote a short story called "A Murder in Oz." He sent it to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, but they did not publish it. It was later published after he died in The Baum Bugle.
This story, along with other horror tales Snow sold to popular magazines like Weird Tales, was collected in a book called Spectral Snow (1996). Some stories appear in both of Snow's collections, but each book also has unique stories.
Oz Scholarship and Legacy
Jack Snow's book Who's Who in Oz was highly praised by critic Anthony Boucher. Boucher said it had great descriptions of characters, summaries of plots, and smart discussions about the timeline and history of Oz.
There have been rumors about a third Oz book by Snow that was never published. It was supposedly called Over the Rainbow to Oz and might have been about Polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, or an early history of Oz. However, no one has ever found the manuscript for this book.
After Jack Snow passed away, his address book of Oz fans was discovered. This list became the starting point for creating The International Wizard of Oz Club. This club helps connect fans of the Oz books from all over the world.
The winter 1987 issue of The Baum Bugle magazine contains information about Jack Snow's life and his writings. It also includes a review of his horror stories.
Jack Snow died in New York. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Forest Hill Cemetery in Piqua, Ohio, which was his hometown. He rests next to his father, John Alonzo Snow.
