by Janice Knauss (Illustrator), Christopher Knauss (Introduction by), Booth Tarkington (Author)
"The Magnificent Ambersons" is a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington that won the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It is the second novel in his Growth trilogy, which includes "The Turmoil" (1915) and "The Midlander" (1923, retitled "National Avenue" in 1927).
Author Biography
Newton Booth Tarkington was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 29, 1869. He is known as one of the great American novelists of the 20th century, winning the Pulitzer Prize for "The Magnificent Ambersons" in 1919 and for "Alice Adams" in 1922. Tarkington attended Purdue University and later Princeton. He was editor of the Nassau Literary Magazine at Princeton, which later awarded him both an honorary A.M. and an honorary Litt.D. In 1898, Tarkington's manuscript "The Gentleman from Indiana" was accepted for publication by New York publisher S.S. McClure and became a bestseller in 1900, launching a financially successful literary career. The 1921 Publishers Weekly poll of booksellers rated Tarkington the most significant contemporary American author, above Sinclair Lewis, Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg. In 1931, he won the O. Henry Memorial Award for his short story "Cider of Normandy." Throughout his life, Tarkenton's works appeared frequently on best seller lists. His novels "The Two Vanrevels" and "Mary's Neck" appeared on annual best-seller lists a total of nine times.