Literary Birthday – 8 August – Charles Hamilton

Charles Hamilton was born on 8 August 1876 and died on 24 December 1961.

Charles Hamilton Quotes

1. All big things in this world are done by people who are naïve and have an idea that is obviously impossible. (Michael Hartzell)
2. In the presence of such authority, I speak with diffidence and can only say that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, I am only one person and have never been two or three. (Wikipedia)
3. Every day of happiness, illusory or otherwise—and most happiness is illusory—is so much to the good. It will help to give the boy confidence and hope. Frank Richards tells him that there are some splendid fellows in a world that is, after all, a decent sort of place. He likes to think himself like one of these fellows, and is happy in his daydreams. (Wikipedia)
4. The business of a boys’ author is not to consider political issues, but to entertain the readers, make them as happy as possible. (Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature: ‘Charles Hamilton’
5. The chief thing was to select a name totally different from those under which he had hitherto written: so that when he used the name, he would feel like a different person, and in consequence write from a somewhat different angle. I have been told – by men who do not write – that this is all fanciful. This only means that they don’t understand. (Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature: ‘Charles Hamilton’

Charles Hamilton was an English writer best known for creating long-running series of stories for weekly magazines. For many years, he was the main writer for a publisher named Trapps Holmes. He wrote thousands of stories for them. These included tales about police, detectives, firemen, Westerns, and school adventures. He specialised in boys’ school stories, writing about recurring characters and the adventures that shaped their lives. Much of his popularity came from the way he made readers feel part of the story. His close-knit groups of characters, such as the Terrible Three at St Jim’s and the Famous Five at Greyfriars, created a sense of friendship and belonging. He also used a variety of pen names throughout his career. Researchers Lofts and Adley estimate that Hamilton wrote around 100 million words, the equivalent of about 1,200 average-length novels, making him one of the most prolific writers in history. Although he became more private in later years, he maintained a connection with his readers through regular correspondence. He was known for wearing a skull cap to hide his hair loss and was often seen smoking a pipe.

Source for photograph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frank_Richards_Smoking.jpg

by Amanda Patterson
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