John D. MacDonald
Born July 24, 1916 · Died December 28, 1986
John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania. He attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania but dropped out to move to New York City, where he took menial to support himself. While attending the School of Management at Syracuse University, he met Dorothy Prentiss, and they married in 1937. He graduated from Syracuse the following year, and in 1939 he received an MBA from Harvard University. During World War II he served in the Office of Strategic Services in the Far East. In 1945, he wrote a short story for his wife and mailed it to her. She submitted it to the magazine Story, and it was published. When he returned home after the war, he wrote full-time, often working 14 hours every day. After five months without another success, he sold a story to the pulp magazine Dime Detective, and he continued to write for detective, mystery, adventure, sports, western and science fiction pulps. In 1950 his first novel, The Brass Cupcake, was published. In 1953, he began specializing in crime thrillers, producing some of the most-respected novels in the hardboiled style. Several of his novels have been made into films.
Quotes
“It isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how you are. You give me great joy. And you make horrible coffee.”
“It's no good telling somebody they're trying too hard. It's very much like ordering a child to go stand in a corner for a half hour and never once think about elephants.”
“It was an example of the terrible innocence of men who are superb in their own fields. Einstein had some grotesque political opinions. Jack Parr knew how we should get rid of the Berlin Wall. Kurt Vonnegut keeps losing airplane tickets.”
“When you see the ugliness behind the tears of another person, it makes you take a closer look at your own.”
“Now it stands to reason, mister, any damn fool stares into the sun long enough, he'll end up seeing exactly what some other damn fool tells him he's going to see.”
A Flash of Green
Quotes from Wikiquote (CC BY-SA 4.0), chosen with AI.
Books by John D. MacDonald in order
Books by John D. MacDonald in the order they were published, from The Brass Cupcake (1950) to John D. MacDonald Value Collection (2000).
- 1The Brass Cupcake
The Brass Cupcake1950 - 2Wine of the Dreamers
Wine of the Dreamers1951 - 3One Monday We Killed Them All
One Monday We Killed Them All1961 - 4A Purple Place for Dying
A Purple Place for Dying1964 - 5Shades of Travis McGee
Shades of Travis McGee1964 - 6Bright Orange Shroud
Bright Orange Shroud1965 - 7Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald
Darker Than Amber by John D. MacDonald1966 - 8The Last One Left
The Last One Left1967 - 9Dress Her in Indigo
Dress Her in Indigo1969 - 10A Tan Amd Sandy Silence
A Tan Amd Sandy Silence1971 - 11Seven
Seven1971 - 12The Scarlet Ruse
The Scarlet Ruse1972 - 13The Turquoise Lament
The Turquoise Lament1973 - 14The Dreadful Lemon Sky
The Dreadful Lemon Sky1974 - 15McGee
McGee1975 - 16Condominium
Condominium1977 - 17Empty Copper Sea
Empty Copper Sea1978 - 18The Girl the Gold Watch & Everything
The Girl the Gold Watch & Everything1980 - 19One More Sunday
One More Sunday1984 - 20Five Complete Travis McGee Novels
Five Complete Travis McGee Novels1985 - 21John D. MacDonald, Five Travis McGee Novels
John D. MacDonald, Five Travis McGee Novels1985 - 22The Lonely Silver Rain
The Lonely Silver Rain1985 - 23Reading for Survival
Reading for Survival1987 - 24John D. MacDonald Value Collection
John D. MacDonald Value Collection2000