Franklin Folsom

Franklin Brewster Folsom (Boulder, Colorado, 21 July, 1907 — 1995) was an American author of popular books for youth (over 80 titles published both under his own name and various pseudonyms) and a pro-Soviet political activist.

Franklin Folsom

Biography

He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1928. He was also a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. On graduation, he dedicated himself to a career as a professional writer, and began publishing books on history and archaeology (part of which were co-authored by his wife, Mary Elting Folsom). He also worked as a guide in the Rocky Mountains.

His interest for the rights of minorities (Native and Black Americans) resulted in his extensive involvement in radical leftist organizations in the US. He was one of the founding members of the League of American Writers, and in 1937—1943 he was its executive secretary, following the resignation of Waldo Frank, who expressed doubts about Stalin's show trials in Moscow. The League closely cooperated with the Communist Party, and Folsom himself was an active party member.

During the McCarthyism campaign he published his books under various pseudonyms: Benjamin Brewster, Chase Elwell, Michael Gorham, Lyman Hopkins, Horatio D. Jones, Troy Nesbit, Philip Stander.

His wife Mary Elting (1906—2005) was a writer and a journalist (Forum Magazine). The family had a son Michael (1938-1990) and a daughter Rachel (1944).

Selected works

Published under his own name
  • Search In The Desert (1955)
  • Fury and The Mystery At Trappers' Hole (1959)
  • Wagon Train (1959)
  • The Story of Archaeology of The Americas (1960) by Franklin Folsom and Mary Elting Folsom
  • America's Ancient Treasures: A Guide To Archaeological Sites and Museums In The United States and Canada (1962) by Franklin Folsom and Mary Elting Folsom
  • Famous Pioneers (1963)
  • The Language Book: From Tom Toms To Telstar (1963), illustrated by John Hull & Tran Hawicke
    • Russian translation: Книга о языке (1974) М. Прогресс
    • French translation: Du tam-tam à telstar, l'aventure du langage
    • Extended version: The whole dramatic story of language: What it is . . . How it began . . . How it changes (1963)
  • Soviet Union : The View from Within (1965)
  • Science and The Secret of Man's Past (1966)
  • The Answer Book of History (1966) by Mary Elting Folsom & Franklin Folsom
  • Flags of All Nations and The People Who Live Under Them (1967) by Mary Elting Folsom & Franklin Folsom
  • If You Lived In The Days of The Wild Mammoth Hunters (1968) by Franklin Folsom and his wife Mary Elting Folsom
  • The Life and Legend of George McJunkin: Black Cowboy (ages 10 & up; 1973)
  • Red Power On The Rio Grande: The Native American Revolution of 1680 (1973)
  • Indian Uprising On The Rio Grande: The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 (1996)
  • Impatient Armies of The Poor: The Story of Collective Action of The Unemployed, 1808—1942 (1991)
  • Days of Anger, Days of Hope: A Memoir of The League of American Writers, 1937—1942 (1994)
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