Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Banks, Russell, 1940–, American writer, b. Newton, Mass., grad. Univ. of North Carolina (1967). Banks is known for fiction that explores the bleaker aspects of American working-class life with empat...

(Encyclopedia) Drake, Alfred, 1914–92, American singer, actor, and director, b. New York City, originally named Alfred Capurro. Drake first appeared on stage in 1935 in The Mikado. The Broadway production of Oklah...

(Encyclopedia) Rewald, John rēˈwôld [key], 1912–94, American art historian, b. Berlin. Rewald emigrated to the United States in 1941. He was recognized as a foremost authority on late 19th-century art. His book...

(Encyclopedia) Haberle, John hăbˈərlēˌ [key], 1856–1933, American painter, b. New Haven, Conn. Noted for his photographically precise still-life paintings, Haberle is often compared in style with William Harn...

(Encyclopedia) Kendrick, John, c.1740–1794, American sea captain, b. Massachusetts. During part of the American Revolution he commanded privateers. As commander of an expedition composed of the Columbia and Washin...

(Encyclopedia) Bartram, John bärˈtrəm [key], 1699–1777, pioneer American botanist, b. near Darby, Pa. He had no formal schooling but possessed a keen mind and a great interest in plants. In 1728 he purchased la...

(Encyclopedia) American literature, literature in English produced in what is now the United States of America. The years immediately after World War I brought a highly vocal rebellion against established socia...

(Encyclopedia) Morse, John Torrey, 1840–1937, American lawyer and biographer, b. Boston. Admitted to the bar in 1862, he practiced law in Boston until 1880, when he turned all his attention to writing. With Henry ...

(Encyclopedia) Spielberg, Steven, 1946–, American film director, b. Cincinnati, Ohio. Spielberg began his career as a television director, admired for his understanding portrayal of human character. His film Jaws ...

(Encyclopedia) Chamberlain, John, 1927–2011, American sculptor, b. Rochester, Ind. In the late 1950s, Chamberlain became known for his welded abstract assemblages of smashed automobile parts and colored scrap meta...