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Donald J. Sobol (1924–2012)

Author of Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective

135+ Works 34,644 Members 152 Reviews 4 Favorited

About the Author

Donald J. Sobol was born in the Bronx, New York on October 4, 1924. During World War II, he served in the Army as a sergeant in a combat engineer battalion in the Pacific. He received a B.A. degree from Oberlin College. He worked as a copy boy and then a reporter at The New York Sun and The Long show more Island Daily Press. In 1959, he began writing a syndicated fiction column called Two-Minute Mysteries. He is the creator of the Encyclopedia Brown series. His first book, Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, was published in 1963. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 80 books. In 1976, he won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the Encyclopedia Brown series. He died from gastric lymphoma on July 11, 2012 at the age of 87. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by Donald J. Sobol

Encyclopedia Brown Gets His Man (1967) 1,579 copies
Encyclopedia Brown Carries On (1980) 1,315 copies
Two-Minute Mysteries (1967) 1,099 copies
Encyclopedia Brown Lends a Hand (1974) — Author — 931 copies
More Two-Minute Mysteries (1971) 461 copies
Encyclopedia Brown Box Set (1980) 160 copies
Angie's First Case (1981) 98 copies
Two Flags Flying (1960) 42 copies
Great Sea Stories (1975) 30 copies
Greta the Strong (1970) 15 copies
Lock, Stock, and Barrel (1965) 10 copies
Lost Dispatch (1958) 10 copies
My Name is Amelia (1994) 9 copies
Milton, the Model A (1971) 6 copies
A Civil War Sampler (1961) 4 copies
Disaster (1979) 3 copies
AYUDA A LA JUSTICIA (1978) 1 copy

Associated Works

The Penguin Book of Classic Children's Characters (1997) — Contributor — 88 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

A super fun book series, this book follows Encyclopedia Brown a young self made detective with an amazing brain that he uses to solve mysteries around his town in each book. I love this series and I think that this is a perfect book for th ages of 7-9.
 
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Cbonham21 | 33 other reviews | Mar 1, 2024 |
Encyclopedia Brown has an uncanny knack for trivia. With his unconventional knowledge, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids through his own detective agency. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the Idaville police department, and every night around the dinner table, Encyclopedia helps him solve some of the most baffling crimes. With ten confounding mysteries in each book, not only does Encyclopedia have a chance to solve them, but readers are given all the clues as well and can chime in with their own solutions.… (more)
 
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PlumfieldCH | 2 other reviews | Dec 16, 2023 |
Leroy Brown, aka Encyclopedia Brown, is Idaville's ten-year-old star detective. With an uncanny knack for trivia, he solves mysteries for the neighborhood kids. But his dad also happens to be the chief of the police department, and every night Encyclopedia helps him get to the bottom of his most baffling crimes. Join Encyclopedia Brown as he solves ten of his newest and most confounding mysteries, including a case of a missing butterfly brooch, some stolen Confederate stamps, a forgetful jewel thief, and more. With the clues given in each case, readers will have a chance to solve the mystery themselves!… (more)
 
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PlumfieldCH | 4 other reviews | Dec 7, 2023 |
Join Encyclopedia as he takes on the cases of an African killfish, a library book vandal, and a nail-biting soccer game.
 
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PlumfieldCH | 1 other review | Dec 7, 2023 |

Lists

Awards

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Associated Authors

Leonard Shortall Illustrator, Cover artist
Leonard Shortall Illustrator
Ib Ohlsson Illustrator
James Bernardin Illustrator
Trina Schart Hyman Illustrator
Nelson Bond Contributor
Arthur Porges Contributor
L. Sprague de Camp Contributor
Ray Bradbury Contributor
Gordon R. Dickson Contributor
William F. Temple Contributor
Bruce Elliott Contributor
Charles L. Harness Contributor
W. W. Jacobs Contributor
John Collier Contributor
Manly Wade Wellman Contributor
Howard Fast Contributor
Gail Owens Illustrator
Lillian Brandi Illustrator
William K. Plummer Illustrator

Statistics

Works
135
Also by
2
Members
34,644
Popularity
#545
Rating
3.8
Reviews
152
ISBNs
798
Languages
9
Favorited
4

Charts & Graphs