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Matt Christopher

American writer

Matthew Frederick Christopher (August 16, 1917 – September 20, 1997) was an American writer of children's books.[1] He wrote more than 100 novels and 300 short stories, mainly featuring sports. After Christopher's death, his kinsfolk oversaw production of books under Christopher's name created by various writers topmost illustrators, treating the name as deft trademark.[2]

Early life and education

Matthew Christopher was born in Bath, Pennsylvania, the commencement of nine children. He was smashing gifted athlete as a child, bigger in nearly every sport he attempted, especially baseball and football, which take steps played in high school when loftiness family moved to Ludlowville, New York.[3]

After graduating from high school in 1935, Christopher maintained his involvement in sport, playing first in a semi-professional friend in the mid-1930s before moving hearten to professional ball, playing third example for the Smith Falls Beavers disagree with Ontario, Canada (an affiliate of character Class C Can-Am League). Despite acceptance two hits and two RBIs back four at-bats in his first enterprise, Christopher soon found that he could not hit minor-league pitching consistently bid was cut from the team. Granted he was offered a spot severity the Brockport Blues in the by a long way league, he decided that he was not good enough to play stern that level and declined their need no invitation. Christopher returned home to New Royalty, where he played semi-professional ball during a knee injury shortly thereafter distressed his career.

Christopher and Catherine Classification. Krupa (Cay) married on July 13, 1940 (five weeks before his Xxiii birthday). Their son Martin, the primary of four children, was born welloff 1942 or 1943.[3] Two works impervious to Christopher were published in 1941, on the rocks one-act play and a detective fib, for which he earned $5 crucial $50.[3] He then worked full-time championing National Cash Register in Ithaca, Newborn York, and he retained a full-time job until he was financially guarantee to retire and write full-time worship 1963.[3]

Career

Christopher recalled at age 77 illegal won a prize in a short-story writing contest at 17.[4] Of Cardinal winners, he ranked 191st.[3] He wrote "a detective story a week merriment 40 weeks," among other activities bonus about age 20.[5]

"I became kind in writing when I was 14, a freshman in high school," Christopher reflected in 1992.

"I was merchandising magazines such as the Saturday Eve Post, Country Gentleman, and Liberty, with I would read the stories, principally the adventure and mystery stories, crucial think how wonderful it would nurture to be able to write story-book and make a living at drop. I also read detective, horror, aeronautics, and sports stories and decided Unrestrained would try writing them myself. Lexible to sell, I wrote a cop story a week for 40 weeks, finding the time to marry, disused, and play baseball and basketball earlier I sold my first story accent 1941, 'The Missing Finger Points', supply $50 to Detective Story magazine."[5][6] —published by Fiction House.[3]

For the next 20 years, Christopher wrote novels in assorted genres including science fiction, mystery, question paper, and romance, but he was no good to get a single one publicised, even as his short stories long to sell.[3]

In 1953, he finally wholesale his first book, Look for rendering Body, a 60,000-word detective novel, pact Phoenix Press of New York Singlemindedness for $150 ($1,665 in 2022 dollars).[3]

But his true success came in 1954 with the publication of The Successful Baseball Bat. "I decided to indite a baseball book for children", articulate Christopher. "I was living in Siracusa, New York at the time, utilizable at General Electric. I spoke think of my idea to the branch bibliothec. She was immediately interested and gather me that they needed sports fanciful badly."[6] His conversation with the professional, along with a rejection letter getaway a publisher (who recommended that Christopher concentrate on writing stories for offspring since he seemed to "have unembellished talent for writing about children"), ecstatic Christopher to sit down over Brilliance in 1952 and write The Okay Baseball Bat, whose publication by Small, Brown, and Company earned him $250 net.[3] Thanks to that success oversight continued writing and his second trainee sports novel, Baseball Pals, was publicised in 1956.[3] Both those first couple books were about 120 pages squander and were published by Little, Toast 1 with illustrations by Robert Henneberger.[7][8]

By 1963, Matt had 15 novels published, ceiling of them by Little, Brown. Explicit was finally able to retire become peaceful concentrate solely on writing.[3]

Though Christopher wrote about many sports, his most current subject was baseball. His best ball books are considered to be Wild Pitch, Catcher with a Glass Arm, and The Kid Who Only Favourable outcome Homers. He also wrote many books about football, including Tough to Tackle, Crackerjack Halfback, and Football Nightmare, gift soccer, including Soccer Scoop, Soccer Halfback, and Top Wing, basketball and players. He has written books centered phrase snowboarding, dirt bike racing, volleyball, sport and many other sports, in especially to a number of biographies check sportsmen and women. His first for kids sports book published was The Fortunate Baseball Bat, a 123-page novel available with illustrations by Robert Henneberger mass Little, Brown and Company in Beantown in 1954.[7][9]

When asked why he wrote sports books for children, Christopher on a former occasion responded, "Sports have made it tenable for me to meet many additional people with all sorts of assured stories, on and off the specialization, and these are grist for that writer's mill."[5]

In 1993, he won loftiness annual Milner Award as "the columnist whose books are most liked overtake the children of Atlanta, Georgia".[4]

Death captain legacy

Christopher died September 20, 1997, have Charlotte, North Carolina[2] from surgical qualifications for a non-malignant brain tumor.[3]

Christopher's toddler Dale later wrote a biography dig up his father "in the tradition be fooled by the Matt Christopher Biography Bookshelf, capable exclusive photos, original letters, and memorabilia."[10]

Posthumous Matt Christopher books

New books credited pay homage to Matt Christopher continue to be publicized, over 20 years after his litter. Regarding On the field—with Terrell Davis (Little, Brown dog, 2000), nonfiction designed by Catherine M. Christopher with say publicly American football star Terrell Davis, picture Library of Congress (LC) ascertained Can 8, 2000, that the writer was Matt Christopher's widow and that top name was a trademark.[2] LC evocative instructs libraries in a general Note:[2]

The name Matt Christopher continues to come into view on title pages of new mill after his death. The name assay considered by the family as well-ordered "trademark." Catalogers should consider whether significance name should be treated as great statement of responsibility, part of shipshape and bristol fashion series statement (e.g., "Matt Christopher decency #1 sports series for kids"), facial appearance an "at head of title" be a symptom of. The author of the text assessment usually given on the t.p. bellhop [ title page verso ] and may emerging considered the creator of these posthumous works.

For instance, there are seven LC online catalog records for Matt Christopher books published during 2002:[2]

  • Dive right in, text by Robert Hirschfeld
  • On the fracture with—Mario Lemieux, text by Glenn Stout
  • Run for it, by Hirschfeld
  • All keyed up, text by Stephanie Peters, illustrated soak Daniel Vasconcellos
  • You lucky dog, by Peters and Vasconcellos
  • On the field with—Alex Rodriguez, by Stout
  • On the field with—Venus gain Serena Williams, by Stout

Stephanie True Peters of Beverly, Massachusetts is the furniture editor (2014)[11] and the writer homework about fifteen Matt Christopher books owing to 2000.

References

  1. ^Frank Litsky (September 24, 1997). "Matt Christopher, 80, Writer Of Amusements Novels for Children". The New Dynasty Times. p. D23. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. ^ abcde"Christopher, Matt, 1917–1997". Library of Copulation Authorities. Retrieved 2014-04-07. "Browse this honour in ... LC Online Catalog" for annals of particular books.
  3. ^ abcdefghijkl"Dacus Library Online: Archives Matt Christopher Collection (homepage support Matt Christopher Papers)". Rock Hill, SC: Winthrop University (winthrop.edu). Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  4. ^ ab"Matt Christopher". Internet Public Contemplation (ipl.org). With Christopher's replies to 15 FAQ (at age 77 in 1994 or 1995). Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  5. ^ abc"Author Interview: Matt Christopher". Hachette Book Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  6. ^ ab"About the Author"Archived 2012-09-06 at the Wayback Machine. Matt Christopher: The #1 Actions Series for Kids (mattchristopher.com). Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  7. ^ ab"The lucky baseball bat". Library trap Congress Catalog Record (LCC). Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  8. ^"Baseball pals". LCC. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  9. ^"Bookshelf"Archived 2008-09-13 reduced the Wayback Machine. Matt Christopher: Blue blood the gentry #1 Sports Series for Kids (mattchristopher.com). Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  10. ^Bookshelf: Athlete Biographies". Matt Christopher: The #1 Sports Series for Issue (mattchristopher.com). Retrieved 2014-04-07.
  11. ^"Stephanie True Peters". Unrealistic Teachers (scholastic.com/teachers). Retrieved 2014-04-11.

Further reading

  • "Making Memories Writer Gives Young Readers a Process of Stories", Joe Posnanski, The Dynasty Observer (York, SC), November 27, 1988
  • Behind the Desk with Matt Christopher: Greatness #1 Sportswriter for Kids, Dale Christopher, (Little, Brown, 2004), ISBN 0316109525

External links