James Lincoln Collier

James Lincoln Collier (b. June 27, 1928) is a journalist, author, and professional musician.

Collier was born to Bobby Collier and Katherine Brown. He came from a family of writers and teachers, including his father and several aunts and uncles. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1950. A journalist with 30 years of experience, Collier worked with his brother, Christopher Collier, to create works of historical fiction designed to be fun and educational for children. Christopher Collier was a history professor and gave James historical information for him to write the stories.

Collier's notable literary works include "My Brother Sam Is Dead", a Newbery Honor book that was also named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. He also wrote the children's book titled "The Teddy Bear Habit", about an insecure boy whose beatnik guitar teacher turns out to be a crook. His list of children's books also includes "Chipper", which is about a young boy in a gang. His writings for adults include numerous books on jazz, including controversial biographies of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. He has also contributed entries on jazz-related subjects to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

In addition to his writing, Collier is an accomplished jazz musician who plays trombone professionally.

Bibliography

External links

* [http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=5394 Random House biography and works]
* [http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/collier.htm Collier and Collier Teacher Resource File]