John Beecroft (1902–1966)
Author of A Treasury of Great Mysteries, Volumes 1-2
About the Author
Image credit: John Beecroft at his desk at Doubleday
Series
Works by John Beecroft
Wings: The Literary Guild Magazine 2 copies
Associated Works
Kipling: A Selection of His Stories and Poems [Complete] (1956) — Editor & Introduction — 643 copies, 4 reviews
Kipling: A Selection of His Stories and Poems, Volume I (1892) — Editor & Introduction — 493 copies, 2 reviews
Kipling: A Selection of His Stories and Poems, Volume II (1956) — Editor & Introduction — 428 copies
The gentleman from Indianapolis; a treasury of Booth Tarkington (2013) — Editor — 127 copies, 3 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Beecroft, John William Richard
- Other names
- Beecroft, John W.
- Birthdate
- 1902-06-22
- Date of death
- 1966-09-21
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Wisconsin Normal School
Columbia University - Occupations
- editor
- Organizations
- Crowell Publishing Company
Literary Guild
Paramount Newsreel
Book League of America
Doubleday Dollar Book Club
Family Reading Club (show all 9)
Mystery Guild
University Club
American Council of Books in Wartime - Short biography
- John W. Beecroft graduated from the Wisconsin Normal school at Superior in 1921. He graduated Columbia U, 1924. Beecroft first worked for Crowell Publishing Co, writing reader's guides to Eliot's Five Foot Shelf of Books. He was hired at the Literary Guild (founded 1927), where he first began as editor of Wings, the monthly bulletin of the book club. He left the Guild briefly during the depression, working for Paramount Newsreel. Beecroft rejoined the Literary Guild in 1937 as Editor in Chief, a position he retained until his retirement in 1962. He selected such best sellers as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and To Kill a Mockingbird. Beecroft's first choice at the Literary Guild was Liam O'Flaherty's Famine.
John Beecroft married Melinda Pollen Schmidt in 1940. He was a member of the University Club in New York. He served on the American Council of Books in Wartime with Virginia Kirkus, Amy Loveman, Donald Gordon, Francis Ludlow, Meridith Wood and WW Norton, and acted as American judge of the international committee, All-Nations Prize Novel Competition, 1938-1939. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Superior, Wisconsin, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Wisconsin, USA
Members
Reviews
Currently re-reading because the first mystery in the volume is The Maltese Falcon, this year's Big Read selection in Wichita. I wish this hadn't been chosen as a community read. It's drenched in unredeeming and unredeemed machismo and homophobia that are difficult to stomach. For all its merits as a classic in the genre, or even the representative classic of its genre, it's an unfortunate choice for a community event. I hope we'll see some discussion of the difficult aspects of the book, show more but I'm not holding my breath.
As I recall, the other mysteries in the volume are all pretty good, especially the Peter Wimsey story, which is one of the few genuinely light-hearted Wimseys. show less
As I recall, the other mysteries in the volume are all pretty good, especially the Peter Wimsey story, which is one of the few genuinely light-hearted Wimseys. show less
Somerset Maugham is one of the most prolific and popular writers of the 20th century, and this sizeable 1954 anthology offers a broad sampling of his work. Mr. Maugham Himself includes the following: one novel -- Of Human Bondage, two short stories ("Mr. Harrington's Washing" and "The Book-Bag"), three essays ("The Summing Up," "El Greco" from Don Fernando, and "Some Novelists I Have Known" from The Vagrant Mood) and a short extract from A Writer's Notebook. Although most of these works have show more been published in multiple venues over the years, this collection may introduce readers to the astonishing scope and depth of Maugham's writings, offering hours of enjoyment and contemplation. On these grounds, and given the excellence of the works chosen for inclusion, I am compelled to give this book a high rating. No work that includes Mr. Maugham's masterpiece Of Human Bondage as well as his magnificent essay "The Summing Up" can deserve less! What's more, not a single choice in this collection isn't worth reading and enjoying multiple times.
The foregoing represents my review and recommendation of this anthology. What follows is a commentary that may be of interest to readers familiar with Somerset Maugham's work and who may share my puzzlement as to why Doubleday & Co. chose to publish this collection in 1954. Two-thirds of the book (447 pages) consists of the novel Of Human Bondage, which was (and is) widely available elsewhere. Most of the rest (another 140 pages) consists of "The Summing Up" and "El Greco", works that duplicate choices in the compilation The Maugham Reader, published by Doubleday a mere four years earlier. That leaves only two short stories and two brief essays that had not recently been republished, and whether these are among Maugham's very best work is an arguable question.
John Beecroft edited this volume, and his introduction offers a rationale for his selections that is not entirely credible or coherent. He states that he was originally interested in publishing an anthology of Maugham's best work but that since such would have to include at least two novels, a play, some short stories, and perhaps some other pieces, that such a work would be too large to publish. In point of fact, such an anthology is precisely what Doubleday had published in 1950 as The Maugham Reader (Beecroft acknowledges this nearly as an afterthought, and one wonders if he'd been aware of the former volume when he made his proposal to Doubleday). By Mr. Beecroft's account, he then decided on an anthology that would be a sort of "composite autobiography", to represent Maugham "in the way he has revealed his personality and his life through his writings." He notes that on these grounds Of Human Bondage and The Summing Up had to be included, and no one can argue with this assessment. However, he fails to account for the other chosen pieces, none of which is notably autobiographical, however much they may reveal of Maugham's talent. The anthology therefore is duplicative of what came before, and if the goal had been to offer a "composite autobiography", far better choices could have been made. How can an anthology with such a goal fail to include any of Maugham's travel writiings?
No matter. If the present anthology brought Maugham's writings to a new crop of readers or furthered the enjoyment of those who already knew something of his work, then it served a beneficial purpose. In fact, Mr Maugham Himself may still be doing so.
One final note that may be of interest. The version of "The Summing Up" included herein contains a 4 page postscript that Maugham wrote nearly 20 years later, upon its publication in the 1954 The Partial View. (I thank LT member Waldstein for providing this and other relevant information). show less
The foregoing represents my review and recommendation of this anthology. What follows is a commentary that may be of interest to readers familiar with Somerset Maugham's work and who may share my puzzlement as to why Doubleday & Co. chose to publish this collection in 1954. Two-thirds of the book (447 pages) consists of the novel Of Human Bondage, which was (and is) widely available elsewhere. Most of the rest (another 140 pages) consists of "The Summing Up" and "El Greco", works that duplicate choices in the compilation The Maugham Reader, published by Doubleday a mere four years earlier. That leaves only two short stories and two brief essays that had not recently been republished, and whether these are among Maugham's very best work is an arguable question.
John Beecroft edited this volume, and his introduction offers a rationale for his selections that is not entirely credible or coherent. He states that he was originally interested in publishing an anthology of Maugham's best work but that since such would have to include at least two novels, a play, some short stories, and perhaps some other pieces, that such a work would be too large to publish. In point of fact, such an anthology is precisely what Doubleday had published in 1950 as The Maugham Reader (Beecroft acknowledges this nearly as an afterthought, and one wonders if he'd been aware of the former volume when he made his proposal to Doubleday). By Mr. Beecroft's account, he then decided on an anthology that would be a sort of "composite autobiography", to represent Maugham "in the way he has revealed his personality and his life through his writings." He notes that on these grounds Of Human Bondage and The Summing Up had to be included, and no one can argue with this assessment. However, he fails to account for the other chosen pieces, none of which is notably autobiographical, however much they may reveal of Maugham's talent. The anthology therefore is duplicative of what came before, and if the goal had been to offer a "composite autobiography", far better choices could have been made. How can an anthology with such a goal fail to include any of Maugham's travel writiings?
No matter. If the present anthology brought Maugham's writings to a new crop of readers or furthered the enjoyment of those who already knew something of his work, then it served a beneficial purpose. In fact, Mr Maugham Himself may still be doing so.
One final note that may be of interest. The version of "The Summing Up" included herein contains a 4 page postscript that Maugham wrote nearly 20 years later, upon its publication in the 1954 The Partial View. (I thank LT member Waldstein for providing this and other relevant information). show less
Excellent anthologies; something for everyone.
I have read the companion Stories to Remember volumes many times over the years. This anthology was purchased new by my mother in 1956, likely through her long-time Doubleday Book Club involvement, and was some of the first “adult” material I dipped into as I expanded my childhood reading horizons. I still have the original books, and now my own family, adults & teens, re-read and enjoy them. And yes, I remember most, if not all, of the show more selections with deep fondness!
Looking at this collection with a critical eye 56 years after its publication, I fully suspect that some of the selections might no longer appeal to the average modern audience – would a typical 2012 teenager even “get”, or more to the point, even want to “get” many of the societal and historical references in Alexandre Dumas’ Man Who Lived Four Thousand Years, or Maugham’s Lord Mountdrago? - but there is enough good stuff in here to keep any reader engaged for quite some time, even if one cherry-picks their way through the collection. Overall, an interesting vintage read containing a number of familiar authors & stories, as well as an introduction (or a remembrance?) of several writers now fallen out of public notice.
I have seen these volumes numerous times in 2nd hand bookshops, generally priced very reasonably. Worth picking up for dipping into, and for leaving on the guest room nightstand, if your guests are the type to appreciate a non-electronic reading experience.
The double-column format and smallish print takes a bit of adjustment on the part of the reader; it appears that the publisher tried to squeeze as much text as possible onto each page to limit the ultimate length of the book while still providing generous content. Occasional nicely rendered realistic line drawings throughout are an attractive feature.
A nice balance of dramatic, humorous and “darker” stories; not at all a depressing collection, which cannot be said for many other short story anthologies of more recent vintage!
Volume I
The General’s Ring (complete novel) – Selma Lagerlöf, 1925. Written by the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1909. This is the first installment in a trilogy concerning a ring given to General Bengt Löwensköld by King Karl VIII of Sweden. After requesting that the very valuable ring be buried with him, it is soon discovered that the ring has been stolen from the General’s grave, with tragic consequences to everyone who subsequently comes in contact with it. A morality tale, a ghost story, and at least one love story make up this intriguing and well-paced novella, set in eighteenth century Sweden.
Mowgli’s Brothers - Rudyard Kipling, 1894. From The Jungle Book. A lost woodcutter’s child is adopted by a wolf family in the Indian jungle.
The Gift of the Magi - O. Henry, 1906. Most of us will remember this one, stock story of countless anthologies! Della and Jim both sell the thing they love best to buy the perfect Christmas present for each other.
Lord Mountdrago - W. Somerset Maugham, 1939. Lord Mountdrago consults a psychiatrist to help him deal with disturbing dreams. But are they really just dreams, or is something much more sinister going on?
Music on the Muscatatuck and The Pacing Goose (excerpts from The Friendly Persuasion) – Jessamyn West, 1945. Quietly humorous stories concerning Quaker fruit tree nurseryman Jess Birdwell and his Quaker minister wife Eliza.
The Birds – Daphne du Maurier, 1952. What if all the birds in the world banded together to revenge themselves on humans for the harm done to their kind throughout their shared history? Chilling.
The Man Who Lived Four Thousand Years (excerpt from The Queen’s Necklace) – Alexandre Dumas, 1850. Count Cagliostro, who claims to have lived four thousand years, predicts the “unbelievable” futures of a group of royals and nobles gathered to dine with Maréchal de Richelieu in 1784.
The Pope’s Mule - Alphonse Daudet, c. 1894. The humorous fable of a good Pope’s pampered mule, who gets her revenge on a tormentor after seven years’ patient waiting.
The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham – H.G. Wells, c. 1911. The sinister Mr. Elvesham seeks immortality by continually switching bodies.
The Blue Cross – G.K. Chesterton, 1938. Clever but often underestimated Father Brown brings a jewel thief to justice.
Portrait of Jennie (complete novel) – Robert Nathan, 1940. A struggling young artist encounters and adopts as a muse a mysterious girl who apparently has been travelling through time. A ghostly love story.
La Grande Bretêche - Honoré de Balzac, c. 1831. A convoluted telling of the tragedy of a grand old ruined house and its history regarding a Spanish nobleman, a jealous husband and a betraying wife.
Love’s Conundrum – Anthony Hope, 1899. An ironically humorous, very short story concerning a self-absorbed scholar who completely misunderstands a confession of love and proposal of marriage.
The Great Stone Face – Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1889. A young boy, inspired by a legend concerning a cliff resembling a strong human profile, waits his entire life for the human embodiment of the noble edifice to appear. It does, but in a way he has not suspected. (The Great Stone Face was an actual New Hampshire rock formation, known widely as “The Old Man of the Mountain” until its collapse in 2003. This story is one of the more dated tales in this anthology, though it is classic Hawthorne and enjoyable as such.)
Germelshausen – Friedrich Gerstäcker, c. 1850. A wandering artist stumbles into a remote German village, the cursed Germelshausen; doomed to sink beneath the earth for eternity, only to arise for one day in each century. (This is one of my personal favourites in this anthology.) This story has been credited as the inspiration for the musical Brigadoon, though the setting in that case was changed to Scotland.
I am Born (excerpt from David Copperfield) – Charles Dickens, 1850. The title character describes his coming into the world. Irresistable – your next step will be to read the whole novel.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Washington Irving, 1820. Itinerant schoolmaster Ichabod Crane sets his romantic sights on the lovely Katrina and meets a harsh fate for his folly in aiming too high.
The Age of Miracles – Melville Davisson Post, 1918. Injustice and retribution. A wronged heiress, a sudden death, and a clever onlooker who sorts it all out.
The Long Rifle (excerpt from The Long Rifle, a novel) – Stewart Edward White, 1932. Fictionalized account of the life of the legendary Daniel Boone.
The Fall of the House of Usher – Edgar Allan Poe, 1939. A gothic horror tale. Roderick Usher and his sister Madeleine are the last of their family; they fulfill a prophecy which predicts their dramatic demise.
The Voice of Bugle Ann (complete novel) – MacKinlay Kantor, 1935. A very short novella set in contemporary Missouri about an unjust conviction for murder and its surprising resolution. Fox hounds feature strongly. show less
I have read the companion Stories to Remember volumes many times over the years. This anthology was purchased new by my mother in 1956, likely through her long-time Doubleday Book Club involvement, and was some of the first “adult” material I dipped into as I expanded my childhood reading horizons. I still have the original books, and now my own family, adults & teens, re-read and enjoy them. And yes, I remember most, if not all, of the show more selections with deep fondness!
Looking at this collection with a critical eye 56 years after its publication, I fully suspect that some of the selections might no longer appeal to the average modern audience – would a typical 2012 teenager even “get”, or more to the point, even want to “get” many of the societal and historical references in Alexandre Dumas’ Man Who Lived Four Thousand Years, or Maugham’s Lord Mountdrago? - but there is enough good stuff in here to keep any reader engaged for quite some time, even if one cherry-picks their way through the collection. Overall, an interesting vintage read containing a number of familiar authors & stories, as well as an introduction (or a remembrance?) of several writers now fallen out of public notice.
I have seen these volumes numerous times in 2nd hand bookshops, generally priced very reasonably. Worth picking up for dipping into, and for leaving on the guest room nightstand, if your guests are the type to appreciate a non-electronic reading experience.
The double-column format and smallish print takes a bit of adjustment on the part of the reader; it appears that the publisher tried to squeeze as much text as possible onto each page to limit the ultimate length of the book while still providing generous content. Occasional nicely rendered realistic line drawings throughout are an attractive feature.
A nice balance of dramatic, humorous and “darker” stories; not at all a depressing collection, which cannot be said for many other short story anthologies of more recent vintage!
Volume I
The General’s Ring (complete novel) – Selma Lagerlöf, 1925. Written by the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1909. This is the first installment in a trilogy concerning a ring given to General Bengt Löwensköld by King Karl VIII of Sweden. After requesting that the very valuable ring be buried with him, it is soon discovered that the ring has been stolen from the General’s grave, with tragic consequences to everyone who subsequently comes in contact with it. A morality tale, a ghost story, and at least one love story make up this intriguing and well-paced novella, set in eighteenth century Sweden.
Mowgli’s Brothers - Rudyard Kipling, 1894. From The Jungle Book. A lost woodcutter’s child is adopted by a wolf family in the Indian jungle.
The Gift of the Magi - O. Henry, 1906. Most of us will remember this one, stock story of countless anthologies! Della and Jim both sell the thing they love best to buy the perfect Christmas present for each other.
Lord Mountdrago - W. Somerset Maugham, 1939. Lord Mountdrago consults a psychiatrist to help him deal with disturbing dreams. But are they really just dreams, or is something much more sinister going on?
Music on the Muscatatuck and The Pacing Goose (excerpts from The Friendly Persuasion) – Jessamyn West, 1945. Quietly humorous stories concerning Quaker fruit tree nurseryman Jess Birdwell and his Quaker minister wife Eliza.
The Birds – Daphne du Maurier, 1952. What if all the birds in the world banded together to revenge themselves on humans for the harm done to their kind throughout their shared history? Chilling.
The Man Who Lived Four Thousand Years (excerpt from The Queen’s Necklace) – Alexandre Dumas, 1850. Count Cagliostro, who claims to have lived four thousand years, predicts the “unbelievable” futures of a group of royals and nobles gathered to dine with Maréchal de Richelieu in 1784.
The Pope’s Mule - Alphonse Daudet, c. 1894. The humorous fable of a good Pope’s pampered mule, who gets her revenge on a tormentor after seven years’ patient waiting.
The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham – H.G. Wells, c. 1911. The sinister Mr. Elvesham seeks immortality by continually switching bodies.
The Blue Cross – G.K. Chesterton, 1938. Clever but often underestimated Father Brown brings a jewel thief to justice.
Portrait of Jennie (complete novel) – Robert Nathan, 1940. A struggling young artist encounters and adopts as a muse a mysterious girl who apparently has been travelling through time. A ghostly love story.
La Grande Bretêche - Honoré de Balzac, c. 1831. A convoluted telling of the tragedy of a grand old ruined house and its history regarding a Spanish nobleman, a jealous husband and a betraying wife.
Love’s Conundrum – Anthony Hope, 1899. An ironically humorous, very short story concerning a self-absorbed scholar who completely misunderstands a confession of love and proposal of marriage.
The Great Stone Face – Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1889. A young boy, inspired by a legend concerning a cliff resembling a strong human profile, waits his entire life for the human embodiment of the noble edifice to appear. It does, but in a way he has not suspected. (The Great Stone Face was an actual New Hampshire rock formation, known widely as “The Old Man of the Mountain” until its collapse in 2003. This story is one of the more dated tales in this anthology, though it is classic Hawthorne and enjoyable as such.)
Germelshausen – Friedrich Gerstäcker, c. 1850. A wandering artist stumbles into a remote German village, the cursed Germelshausen; doomed to sink beneath the earth for eternity, only to arise for one day in each century. (This is one of my personal favourites in this anthology.) This story has been credited as the inspiration for the musical Brigadoon, though the setting in that case was changed to Scotland.
I am Born (excerpt from David Copperfield) – Charles Dickens, 1850. The title character describes his coming into the world. Irresistable – your next step will be to read the whole novel.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Washington Irving, 1820. Itinerant schoolmaster Ichabod Crane sets his romantic sights on the lovely Katrina and meets a harsh fate for his folly in aiming too high.
The Age of Miracles – Melville Davisson Post, 1918. Injustice and retribution. A wronged heiress, a sudden death, and a clever onlooker who sorts it all out.
The Long Rifle (excerpt from The Long Rifle, a novel) – Stewart Edward White, 1932. Fictionalized account of the life of the legendary Daniel Boone.
The Fall of the House of Usher – Edgar Allan Poe, 1939. A gothic horror tale. Roderick Usher and his sister Madeleine are the last of their family; they fulfill a prophecy which predicts their dramatic demise.
The Voice of Bugle Ann (complete novel) – MacKinlay Kantor, 1935. A very short novella set in contemporary Missouri about an unjust conviction for murder and its surprising resolution. Fox hounds feature strongly. show less
This is more than a collection of short stories, it is a collection of short novels. Since that is the case, and so many of them are classic mysteries and fine reads, I'm going to give each novel a brief review.
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler- I enjoyed the pithy dialog in this. Easy to read as a film noir. The author has a great descriptive talent, though at times gets carried away in my opinion. I truly enjoyed this.
The Bone of Contention by Dorothy L. Sayers- I enjoyed this mystery, one show more gets to see Lord Peter at his country best, though I have to swallow some of the horse clues pretty hard.
The Arrow of God by Leslie Charteris- I really like the Saint. Much better than James Bond in spirit. I wish this story could have been fleshed out more, but it's a nice short story.
I Can't Find my Way Out by Ngaio Marsh- Another good short story, though the actual crime could have been explained better.
Instead of Evidence by Rex Stout-This is a nice post-war story, clever murderer. Nothing hidden, but so obvious you miss it. Rex Stout is one of my favorites.
Rift in the Loot by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice- Not a bad story, cute in a way, but right at the climax of the story the leads do something so stupid it goes beyond credibility. I hate that. Other than that incident, the story was entertaining.
The Man Who Explained Miracles by Carter Dickson- I was enjoying this, then suddenly the pages were full of unreasonable reactions and hollering, lots of !!!!! Unnatural. Without that, the story would have been fun.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier- This is my fourth read of this novel, it doesn't pale. I found this read different, in that since I've aged, I view the characters differently than I did in the past. Also loved enjoying her descriptions and mood setting. I've never read another book which holds me this well. Mystery, Gothic, romance, suspense, this story has it all and it is superb writing too. show less
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler- I enjoyed the pithy dialog in this. Easy to read as a film noir. The author has a great descriptive talent, though at times gets carried away in my opinion. I truly enjoyed this.
The Bone of Contention by Dorothy L. Sayers- I enjoyed this mystery, one show more gets to see Lord Peter at his country best, though I have to swallow some of the horse clues pretty hard.
The Arrow of God by Leslie Charteris- I really like the Saint. Much better than James Bond in spirit. I wish this story could have been fleshed out more, but it's a nice short story.
I Can't Find my Way Out by Ngaio Marsh- Another good short story, though the actual crime could have been explained better.
Instead of Evidence by Rex Stout-This is a nice post-war story, clever murderer. Nothing hidden, but so obvious you miss it. Rex Stout is one of my favorites.
Rift in the Loot by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice- Not a bad story, cute in a way, but right at the climax of the story the leads do something so stupid it goes beyond credibility. I hate that. Other than that incident, the story was entertaining.
The Man Who Explained Miracles by Carter Dickson- I was enjoying this, then suddenly the pages were full of unreasonable reactions and hollering, lots of !!!!! Unnatural. Without that, the story would have been fun.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier- This is my fourth read of this novel, it doesn't pale. I found this read different, in that since I've aged, I view the characters differently than I did in the past. Also loved enjoying her descriptions and mood setting. I've never read another book which holds me this well. Mystery, Gothic, romance, suspense, this story has it all and it is superb writing too. show less
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