John Myers Myers (January 11, 1906 – October 30, 1988) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

writer. He is known best for the

fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

Silverlock ''Silverlock'' is a novel by John Myers Myers published in 1949. The novel's settings and characters, aside from the protagonist, are all drawn from history, mythology, and other works of literature. In 1981, ''The Moon's Fire-Eating Daughter' ...

'' (1949), in which a man with a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

travels through a fantasy land, meeting dozens of characters from myth, legend, and romance for adventure and instruction.

Life

Myers was born in Northport, Long Island on January 11, 1906, to John Caldwell Myers and Alice O'Neil McCorry Myers. He was named for his grandfather John Myers, "the extra Myers, sparing me a dynastic 'II' as per race horses, cars, and yachts." Myers grew up in various places in New York, including New Paltz and New York City. He attended Bard St. Stephens College and then

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

, but was expelled from the latter for writing unflattering verse about the faculty. He later attended the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

to study anthropology, but never completed a degree. After extensive travel through Europe and the United States, Myers worked for the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publi ...

'' and ''San Antonio Evening News''. He was also an advertising copywriter. Myers served five years in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He and Charlotte Shanahan met while he was stationed at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

and they were married in 1943. They had two daughters, Anne Caldwell Myers and Celia Myers. In 1948, he moved to

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

to do research for ''The Last Chance'', and stayed there as he was by that time enamored of the West. While there he worked as editorial writer for the local newspaper. As of 1984, J.M. and C.S. Myers lived "in the chaparal cock country north and east of

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley (Phoenix metropolitan area), East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by ...

, within visiting range of our two daughters". At

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

he had taught writing, conducted a writers conference, and assembled Western Americana for ASU Libraries. Myers died October 30, 1988.

Literary career

Myers published seventeen books, ranging from

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

and

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

of the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

epic poetry An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

and histories of the West. His first book, ''The Harp and the Blade'' (1941), was a historical novel set in tenth-century France. Myers' best-known work is the literary fantasy novel ''

'', published in 1949, which was reprinted in 1966 by

Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns, and soon branched out into other genres, publishing its first scienc ...

, with forewords and accolades from

Poul Anderson Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...

and

Jerry Pournelle Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s ...

.''Silverlock'', John Myers Myers. Ace Books, 1966 (fifth printing), The novel's settings and characters, other than the protagonist, are drawn entirely from numerous other works of literature, such as the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'' and ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

''. His last book, ''The Moon's Fire-Eating Daughter'' (1981), was advertised as a sequel to ''Silverlock''. Myers' non-fiction works included a history of the Alamo, the first biography of

Doc Holliday John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...

, a study of the vigilante movement in San Francisco, and a well-researched biography of

Hugh Glass Hugh Glass ( 1783 – 1833) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, trader, hunter and explorer. He is best known for his story of survival and forgiveness after being left for dead by companions when he was mauled by a grizzly bear. No rec ...

, an early American fur trapper and frontiersman.

Fiction

Fantasy

* ''

'' (

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...

, 1949); reprinted by

from 1966 * ''The Moon's Fire-Eating Daughter'' (

The Donning Company Walsworth Publishing Company is a family-owned publishing company based out of Marceline, Missouri. Walsworth produces catalogs and periodicals, and is the only American- and family-owned publisher of yearbooks. It was started in 1937 by brother ...

, 1981) * ''Silverlock: Including the Silverlock Companion'' (

NESFA Press NESFA Press is the publishing arm of the New England Science Fiction Association, Inc. The NESFA Press primarily produces three types of books: * Books honoring the guest(s) of honor at their annual convention, Boskone, and at some Worldcons and ...

, 2004), ''A Silverlock Companion: The Life and Works of John Myers Myers'', edited by Fred Lerner, is a 52-page pamphlet published in 1988 () and reprinted as a book 1989 ().

Historical fiction

* ''The Harp and the Blade'' (1941 940 serial, subject:

medieval France The Kingdom of France in the Middle Ages (roughly, from the 10th century to the middle of the 15th century) was marked by the fragmentation of the Carolingian Empire and West Francia (843–987); the expansion of royal control by the House of C ...

; reprinted by The Donning Company, 1982, and Ace Books from 1983 * ''Out on Any Limb'' (1942), subject:

Elizabethan England The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

* ''The Wild Yazoo'' (1947), subject:

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

frontier * ''Dead Warrior'' (1956),

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

* ''I, Jack Swilling'' (1961), western

Poetry

* ''Maverick Zone'' (1961), subject:

Non-fiction

* ''The Alamo'' (1948) * ''The Last Chance: Tombstone's Early Years'' (1950) * ''Doc Holliday'' (1955) * ''The Deaths of the Bravos'' (1962), Western history * ''The Saga of

: Pirate, Pawnee, and Mountain Man'' (1963), reprinted by

University of Nebraska Press The University of Nebraska Press, also known as UNP, was founded in 1941 and is an academic publisher of scholarly and general-interest books. The press is under the auspices of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the main campus of the Univer ...

, * ''San Francisco's Reign of Terror'' (1966) * ''Print in a Wild Land'' (1967) * ''The Westerners: A Roundup of Pioneer Reminiscences'' (1969) * ''The Border Wardens: A History of the United States Border Patrol and Its Ceaseless Struggle to Stem the Tide of Wetbacks, Booze and Pot Across America's Wildest Boundary'' (1971),

References

External links

*
John Myers Myers
at Library Thing

unpublished entry written for the US ''

Dictionary of Literary Biography The ''Dictionary of Literary Biography'' is a specialist biographical dictionary dedicated to literature. Published by Gale, the 375-volume setRogers, 106. covers a wide variety of literary topics, periods, and genres, with a focus on American an ...

''
"Discover John Myers Myers, the last Goliard"
guide at Amazon * {{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, John Myers American fantasy writers 20th-century American poets Western (genre) writers Historians of the American West Historians of the Texas Revolution Novelists from New York (state) People from Northport, New York American male novelists 20th-century American novelists 1906 births 1988 deaths Place of death missing American male poets 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American male writers Historians from New York (state) American male biographers Middlebury College alumni University of New Mexico alumni United States Army personnel of World War II