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A Kind of Magic

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Hardback, ex-library, with usual stamps and markings, in good all round condition. Dust jacket in fair condition.

First published January 1, 1963

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About the author

Edna Ferber

280 books285 followers
Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were popular in her lifetime and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).

Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.

Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.

Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Toni Wyatt.
Author 4 books245 followers
October 15, 2020
If you've ever dreamed of being a writer, or maybe even slipping inside a writer's head, this is the book for you. An inside look at a beloved Pulitzer Prize winning author's life. If you love this, don't forget to check out her first autobiography, 'A Peculiar Treasure.' Well worth your precious reading time!
Profile Image for Ann.
286 reviews2 followers
December 27, 2021
A little rambling, but full of interesting insights and glimpses of a bygone era.
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