Donald J. Sobol
Donald J. Sobol was an American author best known for creating the beloved "Encyclopedia Brown" series, which features a young boy detective who solves various mysteries. Born on October 4, 1924, in New York City, Sobol had a rich educational and professional background, including service in the U.S. Army during World War II and a degree from Oberlin College. He launched his writing career while working in retail and went on to write over twenty books in the Encyclopedia Brown series, inviting young readers to engage with the mysteries through careful observation and deduction.
In addition to his most famous character, Sobol authored numerous nonfiction works, including biographies and historical collections. His contributions to children's literature earned him several awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his overall body of work. Sobol's stories are characterized by humor and accessible language, making them popular with schoolchildren since the early 1960s. His manuscripts are preserved at the Kerlan Collection in Minnesota, ensuring his legacy continues to influence young readers today.
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Donald J. Sobol
Author
- Born: October 4, 1924
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: July 11, 2012
Biography
Donald J. Sobol was born October 4, 1924, in New York City, the son of Ira J. and Ida (Gelula) Sobol. Raised in the city, he attended the Ethical Cultural Schools. After serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to 1946, he attended Oberlin College while working as a reporter, earning a B.A. in 1948. He then attended the New School for Social Research from 1949 to 1951. He worked as a buyer for R. H. Macy in New York City from 1952 to 1955 while launching his freelance writing career. In 1955, he married Rose Tiplitz. They had four children.
Though Sobol wrote many nonfiction books, including biographies of military leaders from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars—Lock, Stock, and Barrel and Two Flags Flying—Sobol is best known for his Encyclopedia Brown series of more than twenty books. Leroy Brown, the boy detective clad in sneakers, is a walking encyclopedia able to solve the ten mysteries presented in each book. Readers participate by paying close attention to detail to help Encyclopedia solve the mystery. Solutions are provided at the end of the book to help readers understand how Encyclopedia came to each conclusion.
Sobol wrote similar stories, internationally syndicated as the Two-Minute Mystery Series, which feature a variety of detectives and crime-solvers. These were collected into books beginning in 1967. He was also the editor of two history collections, A Civil War Sampler and An American Revolutionary War Reader, and the author of a book on stocks and bonds.
In 1975, Sobol received the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his entire body of work. Several individual titles also earned accolades, including the Young Readers Choice Award from Pacific Northwest Library Association in 1972 for Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace; the Garden State Children’s Book Award in 1977 for Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand; the Aiken County Children’s Book Award in 1977 for Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case; and Buckeye honor citation (grades 4-8 category) in 1982 for Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Midnight Visitor. Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective was filmed for Home Box Office (HBO) in March, 1990. In 1977, Miller-Brody turned many titles in the series into filmstrips. His manuscripts for both books and the hundreds of stories and articles for national magazines are kept in the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Sobol’s mysteries keep schoolchildren today as entertained as when they were introduced in the early 1960’s. Filled with puns and jokes, they sharpen the deductive reasoning of the reader yet use simple sentences and an accessible style.