Selden Spaulding Edwards (born 1941) is an American writer and educator. His first novel ''
The Little Book'' was a ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' bestseller. His second novel ''
The Lost Prince'', a sequel to ''The Little Book'', was published by
Dutton in 2012.
Early life
Born in 1941, Edwards grew up in Marysville, a small farming town in the
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies north of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the Sacramento River. It encompasses all or parts of ten Northern California ...
of California. His father, Harold Edwards, was manager of a family prune and almond ranch there.
[The Making of Selden Edwards's Novel, The Little Book The Santa Barbara Independent]
/ref> His great grandfather Samuel Edwards arrived in Santa Barbara in the 1880s, and built a large Victorian house at State and Valario streets. He planted the famous Moreton Bay Fig tree that still stands today.[Self Esteem: Our Projects: Santa Barbara Council for Self-Esteem: Selden Edwards]
/ref>
Education
Edwards' family placed a high value on education. His maternal grandfather Edward Selden Spaulding founded the Laguna Blanca School. Edwards attended Marysville public school through tenth grade, then Noble and Greenough School
The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school in Dedham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. It educates 638 boys and girls in grades 7–12. The school's campus border ...
, a Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
private school, and graduated from Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
with an A.B. in religion in 1963 after completing a senior thesis titled "Awareness and Response".[Princeton Alumni Weekly: A novel is born]
/ref> He was a member of Tiger Inn
Tiger Inn (or "T.I." as it is colloquially known) is one of the eleven active Eating club (Princeton University), eating clubs at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Tiger Inn was founded in 1890 and is one of the "Big Four" eating c ...
and played basketball at Princeton during the Franklin "Cappy" Cappon era, on a team famously known as the Scrubby Guns.
Edwards obtained a master's degree in Education from Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and a PhD in Mythology and Depth Psychology
Depth psychology (from the German term ''Tiefenpsychologie'') refers to the practice and research of the science of the unconscious, covering both psychoanalysis and psychology. It is also defined as the psychological theory that explores the rel ...
from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He also attended the first three Community of Writers at Squaw Valley in 1969, 1970 and 1971.
Lifelong educator
After graduating from Princeton in 1963, Edwards began a lifelong commitment to education. This included teaching at Cate School, the Taft School
The Taft School is a private coeducational school located in Watertown, Connecticut, United States. It enrolls approximately 600 students in grades 9–12.
Overview
History
The school was founded in 1890 as Mr. Taft's School (renamed t ...
and other private schools; and the headmastership of the Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
and Crane Country Day Schools in California, and the Elgin Academy in Illinois. At the Crane School, for ten years in the 1980s, Edwards appreciated "the opportunity to create the supportive student-centered school he had always wanted."[Pacifica Alumni Publications Directory]
/ref>
Edwards was also secretary of his Princeton class for over 45 years, since 1966.
''The Little Book''
In 1974, when he was a young teacher in California, Edwards started to write a novel. Over the next thirty years he toiled over the same manuscript – revising it, adding layers and complexity to the tale. Winters and summers, when his colleagues were on vacation and his family was outside enjoying Santa Barbara, Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...
or rural Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
, Edwards would remain in his study and write. Each time he completed a new draft, he would send it to publishers and agents, but to no avail.
Upon his retirement from teaching in 2003, Edwards gave it one last try. Working with renowned editor Pat LoBrutto, he spent another year on the manuscript. This time there was no rejection slip. A literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...
called him "almost immediately" and submitted his novel to Dutton, whose editors purchased it within four days.
Published in 2008, ''The Little Book'' is the story of Wheeler Burden – philosopher, student of history, rock idol, Harvard baseball hero, victim of the grandfather paradox
A temporal paradox, time paradox, or time travel paradox, is a paradox, an apparent contradiction, or logical contradiction associated with the idea of time travel or other foreknowledge of the future. While the notion of time travel to the futu ...
, and inventor of the frisbee. With the velocity of Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...
and the scope of Bellow's Adventures of Augie March, Edwards traced three generations of a family who mysteriously appear together in 1897 Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, and encounter key figures in intellectual, political and artistic history – including Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...
, Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
, Ludwig Wittgenstein
Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language.
From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
.
''The Little Book'' was a New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
best-seller and a critical success.
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
found it "a sweet, wistful elegy to the fantastic promise and failed hopes of the 20th century." NPR
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
hailed it as "a historical time travel
Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
fantasy that's an ideal late summer reading getaway, complete with screwball hidden identity plots and even lively background music…Edwards handles the hectic demands of a multistranded plot with deftness and humor."
The novel was also noted for its "balanced, powerful style,” and "a maturity that is exceedingly rare." In general, ''The Little Book'' was found "a masterpiece of unequaled storytelling that announces Selden Edwards as one of the most dazzling, original, entertaining novelists of our time."
'' The Lost Prince''
Edwards' second novel was a sequel to ''The Little Book.'' Titled ''The Lost Prince'', it is the story of Eleanor Burden, "a crucial silent playmaker in world history, influencing the likes of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and William James, all while maintaining the facade of a Boston socialite and devoted wife."
''The Lost Prince'' was published by Dutton in August 2012. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
praised Edwards' way of "connecting historical events and philosophical ideas, and also connecting this book to his first." They also hailed Edwards' epic rendition of turn-of-century Boston and World War I Europe, noting that "Edwards' bird's-eye view of the details of this momentous age makes this companion piece as much fun as his debut."
The Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
praised its treatment of "big ideas" such as destiny, history, the role of the individual, and undying love. According to the ''Times'', "there's no denying the sweetness of unshakable faith that infuses the core of ''The Lost Prince.''”
''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' described ''The Lost Prince'' as "ingeniously plot-driven: Each chapter constitutes a polished short story in which Eleanor pulls off some near-impossible task to bend current events to the dictates of the journal."
The San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
wrote: “This is a strange and unique love story. On the heels of Edwards' debut novel, ''The Little Book'', the author has crafted a daring follow-up…the book is a meditation on love, faith, free will and one's purpose in life.”
According to Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
"throughout the novel, Edwards skillfully intertwines Eleanor's predestined fate with her relationships to Freud, Jung, J. P. Morgan, William James and other historical figures...a powerful, intense and fascinating read."
The Santa Barbara Independent
The ''Santa Barbara Independent'' is a news, arts, and alternative newspaper published every Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a ...
noted that both ''The Lost Prince'' and ''The Little Book'' "proceed from the premise that Wheeler Burden, Harvard baseball hero, philosopher, and rock star, has the ability to travel back from California in 1988 to Vienna, Austria, circa 1897. The action that follows from this rent in the fabric of time brings together such historical figures as Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, and William James with the Burden clan, who are strictly the product of Edwards' remarkable imagination."
Marie Claire Magazine
''Marie Claire'' (stylized in all lowercase; ) is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages.
The feature editions focus on women arou ...
hailed it as a great summer read, saying that "With a cast of characters that includes Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and William James, it's like ''Midnight in Paris'' for the neurotic set."
The Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
hailed ''The Lost Prince'' as "a provocative novel of destiny, free choice and sacrifice...Edwards' novel is a compelling tale of sacrifice in the name of family and love, reminding readers of the importance of each decision they will make throughout their lives, whether significant or trivial."
The North County Times
The ''North County Times'' was a local newspaper in San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of U ...
found that "Edwards' love for his characters – even the frightening J.P. Morgan with his bulbous nose – is striking and effective. They have blossomed and thrived under the caring, brilliant tutelage of a gifted author, whose enthusiasm seems boundless."
The Historical Novel Society praised ''The Lost Prince'' as "entertaining, thought-provoking, and highly recommended." ''Capital Region Living Magazine'' found it "compelling and fascinating...if you enjoy great story-telling, Selden Edwards is an author you should read."
See also
* Notable Princeton alumni
* Notable Stanford alumni
* Notable Tiger Inn members
References
External links
Official website
The Little Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Selden
21st-century American novelists
American educators
Princeton University alumni
1941 births
Living people
American male novelists
Noble and Greenough School alumni
21st-century American male writers
Stanford Graduate School of Education alumni
Pacifica Graduate Institute alumni