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Donald J Sobol


USA flag (1924 - 2012)

Donald J. Sobol was an award-winning writer best known for his children's books, especially the Encyclopedia Brown series.

Born in New York City, Sobol is the son of Ira J. and Ida (Gelula) Sobol. Donald attended the NYC Ethical Culture Fieldston School and graduated from the Fieldston School in New York City in 1942. Sobol served with the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II and served in the Pacific Theater. Following the war, he attended Oberlin College, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He also attended the New School of Social Research.

He started his professional career as a copy boy for the New York Sun, eventually working his way up to reporter. In 1949, he took a job at the New York Daily News, and worked there for two years. After a brief stint as a buyer at Macy's in New York, he moved to Florida and started writing full time.

He started writing the syndicated series Two-Minute Mysteries in 1959. It proved very popular and ran for more than ten years. In 1963, he started writing his most popular series of books, featuring Leroy "Encyclopedia" Brown. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown titles have never been out of print and have been translated into twelve languages. In 1975, the Mystery Writers of America honored Sobol and his Encyclopedia Brown series with a Special Edgar Award.

Sobol has written more than 65 books. In addition to the books he has written for children, Sobol has also written a number of nonfiction books on topics ranging from history to investing. He has also written and contributed to magazines under a variety of pen names. His manuscripts are stored at the University of Minnesota, in the Kerlan Collection.
 

Genres: Inspirational
 
Series
Encyclopedia Brown
   1. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective (1963)
   2. The Case of the Secret Pitch (1965)
   3. Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues (1966)
   4. Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967)
   5. Encyclopedia Brown Brown Solves Them All (1968)
   6. Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace (1969)
   7. Encyclopedia Brown Saves the Day (1970)
   8. Encyclopedia Brown Tracks Them Down (1971)
   9. Encyclopedia Brown Shows the Way (1972)
   10. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case (1973)
   11. Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand (1974)
     aka The Case of the Exploding Plumbing
   12. The Case of the Dead Eagles (1975)
   13. The Case of the Midnight Visitor (1977)
   14. Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980)
   15. Encyclopedia Brown Sets the Pace (1982)
   15.5. Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Cake! (1982)
   The Best of Encyclopedia Brown (1984)
   16. The Case of the Mysterious Handprints (1985)
   17. The Case of the Treasure Hunt (1988)
   18. The Case of the Disgusting Sneakers (1990)
   19. The Case of the Two Spies (1994)
   20. The Case of Pablo's Nose (1997)
   21. The Case of the Sleeping Dog (1998)
   22. The Case of the Slippery Salamander (1999)
   23. The Case of the Jumping Frogs (2003)
   24. Encyclopedia Brown Cracks the Case (2007)
   25. Encyclopedia Brown, Super Sleuth (2009)
   26. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFO (2010)
   27. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Carnival Crime (2011)
   28. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme (2012)
   29. Encyclopedia Brown and his Best Cases Ever (2013)
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Novels
   The Double Quest (1957)
   Two Flags Flying (1960)
   Lock, Stock, and Barrel (1965)
   The Lost Dispatch (1967)
   Mastermind! (1968)
   Greta the Strong (1970)
   Milton the Model A (1971)
   Angie's First Case (1981)
   Case of Bugs Meaney (1982)
   The Amazing Power of Ashur Fine (1986)
   Secret Agents Four (1988)
   My Name Is Amelia (1994)
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Collections
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Anthologies edited
   Great Sea Stories (1977)
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