Bertrand R. Brinley (19 June 1917 in
Hudson, New York
Hudson is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, f ...
– 20 October 1994 in
Luray, Virginia
Luray is the county seat of Page County, Virginia, United States. It is in the Shenandoah Valley and found within the northwestern part of the Commonwealth. The population was 4,831 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
The town was fo ...
) was an American writer of short stories and children's tales. He was best known for his ''
Mad Scientists' Club'' stories.
The stories in ''The Mad Scientists' Club'' originally appeared over several years in ''
Boys' Life
''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are children between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
''Scout Life'' is published ...
'' magazine, starting in 1961, and were later collected into book form. ''The Mad Scientists' Club'', ''The New Adventures of The Mad Scientists' Club'' and ''The Big Kerplop!'' were first published by the now-defunct MacRae Smith Company of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Much of the character of Mammoth Falls, the fictional town where the Mad Scientists' adventures take place, was based on the town of
West Newbury, Massachusetts
West Newbury is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
History
Originally inhabited by Agawam people, A ...
, where Brinley lived during part of his youth and where he graduated from high school in 1935.
West Newbury contributed a good many place names and several of the characters to the Mad Scientists' Club stories.
They have since been republished by
Purple House Press in
Cynthiana, Kentucky
Cynthiana is a home rule-class city in Harrison County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 6,402 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of its county.
History
The settlement developed on both sides of the South Fork of the Lick ...
. Brinley's final work, ''The Big Chunk of Ice'', was published posthumously in 2005 by Purple House Press with permission from his son, Sheridan Brinley.
Writings
*''Rocket Manual for Amateurs'' (1960, nonfiction)
*''The Mad Scientists' Club'' (1965, juvenile)
*''The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club'' (1968, juvenile)
*''The Big Kerplop!'' (1974, juvenile)
*''The Big Chunk of Ice'' (2005, juvenile)
See also
*
Charles Geer
Charles Hand Geer (August 25, 1922 – December 7, 2008) was an American illustrator, painter and author. He illustrated numerous books, mainly for children and young adults, and created a wide variety of cover paintings for books in many genr ...
(illustrator)
References
External links
Mad Scientists' Club: The Official WebsitePurple House Press homepage
1917 births
1994 deaths
American children's writers
American science writers
People from Hudson, New York
People from West Newbury, Massachusetts
Writers from New York (state)
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
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