Willem van den Hout facts for kids

Wilhelmus Henricus Maria van den Hout (born in 's-Hertogenbosch on June 3, 1915 – died in Den Haag on February 24, 1985) was a Dutch writer. He is most famous for writing the Bob Evers series of children's books. He wrote these books under the pen name Willy van der Heide.

After World War II, Van den Hout faced challenges because of his writings during that time. However, he became very successful with the Bob Evers books. He used many other pen names too, like Willy Waterman and Sylvia Sillevis. He also translated English books into Dutch.

About Willy van den Hout

Willem van den Hout was born on June 3, 1915, in 's-Hertogenbosch, a city in the Netherlands. His father was from Brabant and his mother from Groningen.

After finishing high school and serving in the military, he started working. In 1937, he got a job as a writer for the Philips company. That same year, he married Louise Grossouw, and they had two sons.

In 1938, Van den Hout traveled to the United States. He even visited Hollywood. This trip inspired him to write a funny story about the film industry. It was published in 1939. The story was about a film crew on a Pacific island. This island setting became a common theme in his later books.

Just before World War II started in 1939, van den Hout joined the military again. He wrote a novel in 1941 based on his experiences. During the war, he wrote for several publications. One of these was Jeugd, where he wrote a story called De avonturen van 3 jongens in de Stille Zuidzee. This story was the start of the famous Bob Evers adventures.

After the war, he faced consequences for his wartime activities. This affected his ability to work as a journalist for some time. He later married Marjon Niemeijer in 1958. They had a son and a daughter.

Willy van den Hout passed away on February 24, 1985, from a heart attack.

The Bob Evers Books

On May 19, 1949, Willy van den Hout signed a contract with a publisher. This contract was to publish his Bob Evers series. The books are about three adventurous boys: Arie Roos, Jan Prins, and an American boy named Bob Evers.

The Bob Evers series first had 32 books. They were published from 1949 to 1963. From 1965, the books were released as smaller pocket books. The order of the first six books was changed a little.

In 1967, van den Hout sold all the rights to the publisher for a large sum of money. The series became much more popular than anyone expected. This led to some disagreements with the publisher later on.

In 1977, he published two more Bob Evers books (volumes 34 and 35) with a different publisher. This was against his earlier contract.

After Willy van den Hout died, another author named Peter de Zwaan helped finish some of his books. De Zwaan completed books 33 and 36 from van den Hout's notes. Peter de Zwaan also continued writing new Bob Evers books. The series now has over 50 volumes!

Some of the Bob Evers books have been translated into Afrikaans. Several books have also been turned into comics. They appeared in the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad and as comic books.

Willy van den Hout's Books

Bob Evers series

• 1. Een overval in de lucht (1949)
• 2. De jacht op het koperen kanon (1950)
• 3. Sensatie op een Engelse vrachtboot (1950)
• 4. Avonturen in de Stille Zuidzee (1950)
• 5. Drie jongens op een onbewoond eiland (1950)
• 6. De strijd om het goudschip (1951)
• 7. Tumult in een toeristenhotel (1951)
• 8. Drie jongens als circusdetective (1952)
• 9. Een dollarjacht in een D-trein (1952)
• 10. Een speurtocht door Noord-Afrika (around 1952)
• 11. Drie jongens en een caravan (1953)
• 12. Kabaal om een varkensleren koffer (1953)
• 13. Een motorboot voor een drijvend flesje (1953)
• 14. Een klopjacht op een Kapitein (1954)
• 15. Een raderboot als zilvervloot (1954)
• 16. Nummer negen seint New York (1954)
• 17. Een meesterstunt in Mexico (1955)
• 18. Trammelant op Trinidad (1955)
• 19. Vreemd krakeel in Californië (1955)
• 20. Lotgevallen rond een locomotief (1955)
• 21. Pyjama-rel in Panama (1956)
• 22. Vreemd gespuis in een warenhuis (around 1954)
• 23. Wilde sport om een nummerbord (around 1954)
• 24. Hoog spel in Hong-Kong (1958)
• 25. Een vliegtuigsmokkel met verrassingen (1958)
• 26. Stampij om een schuiftrompet (1959)
• 27. Kunstgrepen met kunstschatten (1959)
• 28. Bombarie om een bunker (1960)
• 29. Ali Roos als Arie Baba (1960)
• 30. Heibel in Honoloeloe (1961)
• 31. Arie Roos wordt geheim agent (1961)
• 32. Cnall-effecten in Casablanca (1963)
• 33. Een zeegevecht met watervrees (1987, finished by Peter de Zwaan)
• 34. Bob Evers belegert Fort B (1977, edited by Peter de Zwaan in 1988)
• 35. Arie Roos als ruilmatroos (1977, edited by Peter de Zwaan in 1988)
• 36. Kloppartijen in een koelhuis (1989, finished by Peter de Zwaan)