| Albert Payson
Terhune |
 |
| Nationality - American |
Profession - Author |
| Date of birth - 1872
|
Date of death - 1942 |
| Place of birth
- : |
|
Albert Payson Terhune wrote books about dogs in the 1920s and ?30s, and through his books he created a spark of love for dogs in general and for Collies in particular.
Terhune also wrote lovingly of Sunnybank, the estate he shared with his wife and with Lad, Bruce, Grey Dawn, and all the other Collies he raised and trained. Today, he and his dogs are memorialized at the estate that is now a state literary monument attracting thousands of visitors each year.
Each year Collie fanciers gather at Terhune?s Sunnybank Farm to pay tribute to Lad on his birthday and to raise money to support breed health research. The event carries special significance; it celebrates the dog who brought national fame to the breed and opened the eyes of thousands of children to the potential for a close relationship with a dog.
Lad was Terhune?s first Collie. Born in 1902, he lived to a ripe old age of 16 and was immortalized in Lad, a Dog and several other books and stories published after his death.
|
| Albert Payson Terhune with Lad |
|
Fans of Terhune tell us Lad was buried at his favourite resting place on Terhune's estate; the author describes it in his books. A boggy, wet place - Less-famous Terhune dogs are up on the hillside, where the drainage is better.
Sunnybank was Terhune?s childhood home on the shores of Lake Pompton in New Jersey. The house and most of the land are gone, but nearly 10 acres, including the homesite and the graves of the dogs have been preserved. Those who visit the park often remark that they recognize each vista from the book, for Terhune wrote just as lovingly and completely about his home as he did about his dogs.
Some writers have described Terhune as a complex man with many faults, but his love for his dogs is clear ? probably never more so than in this passage: ?I wonder if it is heretical to believe that when at last my tired feet shall tread the Other Shore, a madly welcoming swirl of exultant collies ? the splendid Sunnybank dogs that have been my chums here ? will bound forward, circling and barking around me, to lead me Home!?
Terhune died in 1942 at the age of 70. Lad, Bruce, Wolf, Fair Ellen, Treve, and all the other Sunnybank dogs live on in the pages of his books. |
|
|
Albert Payson Terhune
bibliography - 1
listed |
|
 |
Click
on one of the Albert Payson
Terhune books below
for details on synopsis, first edition issue
points, a picture of the book, and collectors
information |
|
| Albert Payson
Terhune books Wee
have for sale |
|
|
All
the Albert Payson Terhune
books listed below are currently for sale
on our website - we may have some others in
stock so please ask if you don't see the title
you're looking for. |
|
|
|
|
|
