William G. Tapply
William G. Tapply was an accomplished American writer and educator, born on July 16, 1940, in Waltham, Massachusetts. He is notable for his contributions to both fiction and non-fiction, particularly through his series of novels featuring the Boston lawyer Brady Coyne, totaling twenty-one titles. Tapply's literary career began while he was working as a housemaster and history teacher at Lexington High School, where he wrote articles for prominent publications such as Sports Illustrated and Newsweek without formal writing training beyond basic English. His first novel, "Death at Charity's Point," was published in 1984.
In addition to his fiction, Tapply wrote extensively on topics related to the outdoors, inspired by his father's work with Field and Stream. Throughout his career, he also contributed over four hundred magazine articles and authored a guide on writing detective fiction. Tapply held various academic roles, including a professorship at Clark University, and he collaborated with his wife, novelist Vicki Stiefel, to run The Writers Studio at Chickadee Farm in New Hampshire. His educational background includes degrees from Amherst College and Harvard University, as well as a Travelli fellowship from Tufts University. Tapply's life and work reflect a rich intersection of literature, education, and outdoor culture.
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William G. Tapply
Author
- Born: July 16, 1940
- Birthplace: Waltham, Massachusetts
- Died: July 28, 2009
- Place of death: Hancock, New Hampshire
Biography
William G. Tapply was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, on July 16, 1940. Tapply’s father was a writer for Field and Stream, where he wrote a column, “Tap’s Tips,” providing advice for the outdoorsman. Tapply graduated from Amherst College in 1962 with a degree in American studies and married Alice Knight. He continued his education at Harvard University, receiving a degree in social studies in 1963. Following his divorce from Knight in 1966, Tapply resumed his education at Tufts University, where he received a Travelli fellowship.
In 1970, Tapply married Cynthia Ehrgott and the couple had three children, two daughters and a son. Tapply took a job as a housemaster at Lexington High School, where he taught history until 1987. While at the high school, Tapply began writing, though he had never taken a writing class other than freshmen English. His first credits included articles in Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. Tapply’s second attempt at a novel, Death at Charity’s Point, was published by Scribner’s in 1984.
Since then, Tapply has written twenty-one novels about Boston lawyer Brady Coyne along with a guide to writing detective fiction and more than four hundred magazine articles. In 2005, he lived in Hancock, New Hampshire, was a professor of English, teaching writing, at Clark University in Worcester, Maine. He also was a contributing editor of Field and Stream. He and his third wife, novelist Vicki Stiefel, ran The Writers Studio at Chickadee Farm.