William Andrew Johnston
William Andrew Johnston (1871–1929) was an American journalist, writer, and co-founder, with George T. Delacorte Jr., of Dell Publishing.[1]
Personal[edit]
Johnston was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 26, 1871, the son of William Andrew and Agnes (Parry) Johnston. He graduated with a Litt.D from Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh) in 1891, where he was valedictorian.[2] Soon after graduation, he moved to New York City and took a job at the New York World newspaper, where he worked for 27 years.[1]
In 1921 he co-founded Dell Publishing. In 1927 he moved to Chicago, becoming vice-president of public relations for Celotex Corporation.[1]
Johnston was married twice, first in 1896, to Hazel Minnette Williams of Hampshire, England,[3] and second, in 1910, to Hattie Belle McCollum (1883-1963). of Lockport, New York[4] He had a son, George E. Johnston.[5]
He died in Chicago on February 16, 1929, at age 58.[1]
Publications[edit]
According to The New York Times', "most of Mr. Johnston's books were written from his experience as a reporter."[1] He is best known for his books Limpy, the Boy Who Felt Neglected (1917), based on his own disability, and The Fun of Being a Fat Man (1922), again based on his life experience, in reaction to a book by Henri Beraud called The Tragedy of Being Fat (Le Martyre de l'obèse).[2] He wrote a series of articles for Collier's from 1925-26, on the theme "if I were a...", such as "If I Were a Business Man",[6] "If I Were a Clergyman", "If I Were a Doctor", "If I Were a Lawyer", "If I Were a Rich Man", "If I Were Out of a Job". He also wrote a number of detective stories, and non-fiction.
Fiction[edit]
- The Innocent Murders (1910)
- Solomon Sloan's Advice on how to Run the Universe[4]
- The Yellow Letter (1911) free eBook
- Limpy, the Boy Who Felt Neglected (1917) free eBook
- The House of Whispers (1918) free eBook
- The Apartment Next Door (1919) free eBook
- The Mystery in the Ritsmore (1920) free eBook
- The Fun of Being a Fat Man (1922)
- The Tragedy at the Beach Club (1922)
- The Waddington Cipher (1923)
- These Women (1923)
- The Accidental Accomplice (1928)
Non-fiction[edit]
- History up to date (1899), History of the Spanish-American War
- My Own Main Street (1921) free eBook at The Hathi Trust
- Webster's Bridge (1924) - with H. T. Webster
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e "William Johnston Dead". The New York Times. Feb 17, 1929. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Pratt, Fletcher (8 May 1927). "Being Fat Helped William Johnston Win Writer's Fame". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Leonard, John William; Marquis, Albert Nelson (1908). Who's who in America. pp. 1007–1008.
- ^ a b "Noted Journalist who Married in Lockport". The Buffalo Sunday Morning News. 17 Apr 1910. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
- ^ Johnston, William (1921). My Own Main Street. Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Company. Retrieved Jun 6, 2021.
- ^ Johnston, William (Sep 27, 1924). "If I Were a Business Man". Collier's: 8. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
External links[edit]
- William_Andrew_Johnston at Goodreads
- Works by William Andrew Johnston at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- McIntyre, O.O. (15 Jun 1919). "Gotham's Best Known News-paperman Is Honored at Local University". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
