John Bellairs (1938–1991)
Author of The House with a Clock in Its Walls
About the Author
John Bellairs was born in Marshall, Michigan on January 17, 1938. He attended Notre Dame and the University of Chicago. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was a teacher. He went on to author fifteen graphic novels for young adults, one fantasy book "The Face in the Frost," and two other show more books. His works have been nominated for several awards in the past. Among those nominated for, he won the Utah Children's Fiction Book Award in 1981 for "The Letter, the Witch and the Ring" and the New York Times Outstanding Books of 1973 Award for "The House with a Clock in Its Walls." Bellairs died of cardiovascular disease, on March 8, 1991. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: John Bellairs
Series
Works by John Bellairs
The Best of John Bellairs: The House with a Clock in Its Walls; The Figure in the Shadows; The Letter, the Witch, and… (1998) 231 copies
John Bellairs 6 Volumes Set: Figure in the Shadows, Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn, Mummy, the Will & the Crypt, Lamp… (1985) 1 copy
Associated Works
The Specter From the Magician's Museum (Lewis Barnavelt) (1998) — Author, some editions — 158 copies
A funny thing happened to the church; humor, cartoons, satire, and fiction from the pages of the Critic — Contributor, some editions — 6 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Bellairs, John
- Legal name
- Bellairs, John Anthony
- Birthdate
- 1938-01-17
- Date of death
- 1991-03-08
- Burial location
- Greenwood Cemetery, Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Marshall, Michigan, USA
- Place of death
- Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA
- Cause of death
- cardiovascular disease
- Places of residence
- Marshall, Michigan, USA
South Bend, Indiana, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Winona, Minnesota, USA
Mount Carroll, Illinois, USA
Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, UK (show all 9)
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
North Andover, Massachusetts, USA
Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA - Education
- University of Notre Dame (BA|1959)
University of Chicago (MA|1960) - Occupations
- fantasy author
teacher - Awards and honors
- Haverhill Citizens Hall of Fame (2000)
Utah Children's Fiction Book Award (1981) - Short biography
- John Bellairs is best known as the author of 15 gothic mystery novels for young adults, comprising the "Lewis Barnavelt", "Anthony Monday", and "Johnny Dixon" series (which included 1973's "The House with a Clock in its Walls"). The book, illustrated by Edward Gorey, and "The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn" (1978), about a rumored fortune buried in the walls of a town library, were made into television movies for children. He also penned "St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies," "The Pedant and the Shuffly," and the Tolkien-inspired fantasy "The Face in the Frost." Born in Michigan, he earned a BA in English from Notre Dame in 1959 and attended graduate school at the University of Chicago. Later, he taught English at various Midwestern and New England colleges before relocating to live and write in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He died of cardiovascular disease in 1991.
Members
Discussions
Teen supernatural horror from the 80's in Name that Book (September 2012)
Horror Series read as kid in Name that Book (November 2010)
Reviews
Lists
Witchy Fiction (1)
Edward Gorey Covers (17)
Summer Books (1)
1960s (1)
Elevenses (1)
Five star books (3)
1990s (4)
Ghosts (4)
1980s (7)
Gateway Horror (16)
1970s (2)
Which house? (2)
music to my eyes (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 38
- Also by
- 10
- Members
- 11,331
- Popularity
- #2,072
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 230
- ISBNs
- 408
- Languages
- 10
- Favorited
- 46
The illustrations by Edward Gorey are fantastic but what is best about this book is how it taps into a child's wild imagination to help immerse him or her into Lewis's world of Gothic horror. I was ecstatic to rediscover one of my favorite scenes (the nighttime car chase to the bridge) - my 42-year old self had retained this vivid scene (and the intense, creepy emotions it invoked) but had forgotten which book it was from.
Without realizing it, this book was probably the impetus for my love of books with creepy, magical themes (e.g., Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is an all-time favorite read...and listen...and viewing). Now that I have this little gem back in my possession, I will not be letting it go.… (more)