Idwal Jones ( ; December 8, 1887 – November 14, 1964) was a Welsh-American novelist and non-fiction writer. Jones focused a lot of his writing on the beauty and population boom in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and the west.

Biography

Jones was born in

Ffestiniog Ffestiniog () is a community in Gwynedd in Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,875. History Ffestiniog was a parish in Cantref Ardudwy; in 1284 ...

, Wales, to William W. Jones and Mary Catherine Hughes. His father was an engineer and geologist who in 1902 brought the family to the slate-quarrying region of Pennsylvania. He studied mechanical engineering in New York, which led to an interest in the

California gold rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

, and he moved to there in 1911.''California, Biographical Index Cards, 1781-1990''. California State Library; Sacramento, California; Biographical Files He began his literary career writing book reviews for the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'', and later had his own columns in, ''

The San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'' "Rediscovering San Francisco" and "Passing By." He sold his first short story in the 1920s. He won a

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

Honor in 1937 for ''

Whistler's Van ''Whistler's Van'' is a children's novel by Idwal Jones. Set in rural Wales shortly after World War I, it tells the story of a young farmboy, Gwilyn, who spends one summer traveling with the gypsies. The novel, illustrated by Zhenya Gay, was fir ...

''. Some of his most famous works include: ''The Vineyard'' and ''Ark of Empire: San Francisco's Montgomery Block''. ''The Vineyard'' tells the story of

Napa Valley Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. It was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) on January 27, 1981. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier ...

citizens and their love for the land. The main character, Alda Pendle, mastered the art of

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

from her father. After her father's death, Pendle's skills make her a valuable asset to an individual living on a vineyard in Napa Valley. ''Ark of Empire: San Francisco's

Montgomery Block The Montgomery Block, also known as Monkey Block and Halleck's Folly, was a historic building active from 1853 to 1959, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was San Francisco's first fireproof and earthquake resistant building. It came ...

'', subtitled "San Francisco's Unique Bohemia 1853–1953" in one edition, is a history of the old heart of San Francisco. His first novel, ''The Splendid Shilling'', came out in 1926, with a storyline that mirrored his own, shifting from Wales to California during the Gold Rush. He married Olive Vere Wolf in 1923, and they traveled the world together. Jones died at his home in

Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservat ...

References

External links

* * Two short radio readings
"Dad Dunnaway"
from the Idwal Jones article " Farm, Rock, and Vine Folk" an
"True Wine Grapes,"
from Jones' book '' Vines in the Sun'' from

California Legacy Project California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Idwal 1887 births 1964 deaths Newbery Honor winners People from Gwynedd People from Laguna Beach, California British emigrants to the United States