Robert James Dixson (May 23, 1908 – February 1, 1963) 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 who simplified and adapted some classic works of literature, that were later published in their new version, and wrote a number of books about the English language, especially crafted for the foreign born. He lived in New York City and moved to Florida in the early 1950s. He died while living in Coral Gables in 1963. He authored English language books by himself but also collaborated with others. Many of these books have been used throughout the world by those who wanted to learn or improve their knowledge of grammar, usage and pronunciation, particularly American English. Although the original editions served the intended purpose of his books, several have been re-published in different countries, most with translated notations to facilitate comprehension.

Works

"Ten carefully graded readers American Classics, simplified and adapted" #

The House of the Seven Gables ''The House of the Seven Gables: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel written beginning in mid-1850 by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne and published in April 1851 by Ticknor and Fields of Boston. The novel follows a New England family and their an ...

(vocabulary range 750 words) #

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whi ...

Melville, Herman (1990). ''Herman Melville's Moby Dick''. Prentice Hall. (vocabulary range 1000 words) #

Murders in the Rue Morgue "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in ''Graham's Magazine'' in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination". C. Auguste Dup ...

, and

The Gold Bug "The Gold-Bug" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe published in 1843. The plot follows William Legrand, who was bitten by a gold-colored bug. His servant Jupiter fears that Legrand is going insane and goes to Legrand's friend, an ...

(vocabulary range 1200 words) # The Pathfinder, or The Inland Sea (vocabulary range 1400 words) # The Outcasts of Poker Flat (vocabulary range 1600 words) # The Hoosier Schoolmaster (vocabulary range 1800 words) #

The Portrait of a Lady ''The Portrait of a Lady'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''The Atlantic Monthly'' and '' Macmillan's Magazine'' in 1880–81 and then as a book in 1881. It is one of James's most popular novels and is regarded by cr ...

(vocabulary range 2000 words) # The Rise of Silas Lapham (vocabulary range 2200 words) #

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' or as it is known in more recent editions, ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'', is a novel by American author Mark Twain, which was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United S ...

(vocabulary range 2400 words) #

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Ove ...

(vocabulary range 2600 words) English books (partial list) *(1945) Exercises in English Conversation for the Foreign Born *(1949) Tests and Drills in English Grammar for Foreign Students *(1950) Modern Short Stories by American Authors *(1951) Essential Idioms in English for the Foreign Born *(1951) Complete Course in English *(1953) Everyday Dialogues in English for the Foreign Born *(1955) Curso Completo de Inglés (Spanish) *(1957) Practice Exercises in Everyday English *(1962) Modern American English

Trivia

Some of Dixson's work was compiled into an English course with books and cassettes, titled "Modern American English," marketed by

Grolier Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including '' The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acad ...

in the late 1960s. The main speaker on the course was Leslie Daniel (1919-2011), actor and voice-over performer, best known for his role as Kurt, the lab assistant in

The Brain That Wouldn't Die ''The Brain That Wouldn't Die'' (also known as ''The Head That Wouldn't Die'' or ''The Brain That Couldn't Die'') is a 1962 American science fiction horror film directed by Joseph Green and written by Green and Rex Carlton. The film was complete ...

.La Penna, Tony (1988). ''Dall'America all'Italia: Memorie di un Attore''. Italy: Sabatia. p. 69. Though some of his books on the English language are known as the "Dixson's English Series," they are more often listed on the Internet as "''Dixon's'' English Series."

References

English books published abroad (partial list) *Robert J. Dixson (2003). ''Essential Idioms in English''. Japan: Pearson Kirihara K.K. *Robert J. Dixson (1971). ''Elementary Reader in English''. Venezuela: Regents. Clasificación: 65 D55 1971 (Barcode 14364) *Robert J. Dixson (2008). ''Essential Idioms in English''. Taiwan: Pearson. *Robert J. Dixson (1986). ''Practical English Self-taught''. Spain: Edaf. *Robert J. Dixson (2003). ''Essential Idioms in English''. Italy: Pearson. ic*Robert J. Dixson (1994). ''Graded Exercises in English''. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. *Robert J. Dixson (1978). ''Modern American English''. France: Regents. *Robert J. Dixson (2010). ''Essential Idioms in English''. Iran: Forest. *Robert J. Dixson (1987). ''Las 2000 Palabras Usadas Con Más Frecuencia en Inglés''. Latin America: Prentice Hall. *Robert J. Dixson (2003). ''Everyday Dialogues in English''. New Delhi: PHI Learning.

External links

Catalog of copyright entries, Volume 28, Part 14, Issue 1 (Google Books)ISBN listOpen LibraryWorldCat IdentitiesFreebaseBookFinder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixson, Robert James 1908 births 1963 deaths People from Coral Gables, Florida 20th-century American non-fiction writers