| Walter
Farley |
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| Nationality - American |
Profession - Author |
| Date of birth - 26 Jun 1922
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Date of death - Still with us |
| Place of birth
- Syracuse, New York : |
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Walter Lorimer Farley was born on June 26, 1915 in Syracuse, New York to Walter and Isabelle Farley. He spent his childhood in Manhattan, where his father worked as an assistant manager of the Hotel Roosevelt. Farley was very fond of New York City because of its year-round opportunities for sports and other activities.
Looking back on his childhood, Farley states,"It was a great place for kids in those days and perhaps still is, providing kids take advantage of what is there. Like most kids, I was very interested in sports and was able to play tennis, ride, run, and ice skate most of the year. And there were plenty of horses -- in Central Park, Squadron A with its indoor polo, Long Island, Connecticut, and Westchester trails, and the race tracks at Belmont, Jamaica, and Aqueduct where I spent many, many days."
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As it can easily be imagined after reading his these words, Farley's greatest childhood dream was to own a horse. Living in New York City, it was something that he could never attain. However, between his adventures riding horses at various nearby stables and by using his literary creativity, he found happiness. He wrote stories of horses that combined his own personal experiences with with those of his uncle, who was a noted horse trainer.
Farley commuted by subway to Erasmus High School in Brooklyn. There were a number of high schools closer to the Farley home, but Erasmus was well known for its track team. During his high school years, Farley continued writing. One of the reasons so many of his stories focused on horses was that there were so few books available for youngsters. Farley was very fond of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty and Wil James' Smoky the Cow Horse, but it just wasn't enough.
In 1931, Farley began attending Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he participated in track. He continued to write stories for children as he had since he was 11 years old. After graduating in 1935, Farley attended Columbia University until 1941. With the help of one of his English professors, he put the finishing touches on The Black Stallion, which was published in 1951.
Upon gradutating from Columbia University, Farley found a position as an advertising copywriter at Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn, an advertising firm in New York.
Like many Americans, Farley found himself in the military at the start of World War II. He served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946. For most of that period, Farley was assigned as a staff member at Yank, an army weekly magazine. He also served in a tank as part of the Fourth Armored Division.
It was during the war that Farley met and married Rosemary Lutz. They were married on May 26, 1945. In 1946, Farley was discharged from the army. The Farleys took an opportunity at that point to travel widely. They also established a farm in Earlville, Pennsylvania in order to breed horses. In effect, Farley devoted his life to writing about horses and raising them.
Besides the farm in Pennsylvania, Farley and his family also spent part of each year in Florida. The Farley family quickly grew as Rosemary and Walter had four children: Pamela, Alice, Steve, and Tim. One of his daughters passed away in the 1980's.
Farley writes most of his books from a small office in his Florida home, which overlooks the water. "It's good for my eyes to look up from the typewriter to the horizon. There's been lots of close work through the years. And I love the water. We have a small Boston whaler and a thirty-four-foot Rhodes-designed sloop. We sail a lot, race a little, and skin dive as much as possible ... I also do lots of riding, mostly on Arabians."
In 1962, Rosemary and Walter Farley organized a group which formed the Friends of the Library of the Venice Area with the purpose of establishing a free public library. The Venice Public Library opened in 1965 and has become one of the busiest libraries in the Sarasota County area.
Farley has authored 34 books that have been read by three generations of children. These books have been published in 22 coutries and in several languages. The Black Stallion series has also been transformed into a successful series of movies by American producer Francis Ford Coppola starting in 1979. Farley's literary contributions have become some of the most influential and inspirational books that have been enjoyed by young readers from around the world.
Source: Greenville Public Library |
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Walter Farley
bibliography - 1
listed |
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The
Walter Farley
books listed below are either first editions,
special editions or noted editions. |
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| Walter
Farley books Wee
have for sale |
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All
the Walter Farley
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. |
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