Oswald Herbert Best (March 25, 1894 – July 1980) was a British-American author of children's literature and science fiction.
Early and personal life
Best was born on March 25, 1894. He married fellow author Allena Champlin, better known by her pen name Erick Berry. He held bachelor's degrees in arts and laws from Queens' College, Cambridge. He died in July 1980, at the age of 86.
Career
Best published a number of books between the 1930s and '60s. Many of his works were for children, and illustrated by Berry. One of these was perhaps his most lauded work, Garram the Hunter: A Boy of the Hill Tribes, published in 1930. It won a Newbery Honor in 1931. He also wrote at least one work of science fiction, 1940's The Twenty-Fifth Hour.
Outside of his writing career, he fought in World War I and spent time working for the British Civil Service in Nigeria as an administrative officer. His experiences in Africa were significant influences on some of his works. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Bibliography
Garram the Hunter: A Boy of the Hill Tribes: 1930 Flag of the Desert: 1936 Tal of the Four Tribes: 1938 The Twenty-Fifth Hour: 1940 Gunsmith's Boy: 1942 Young'Un: 1944 Border Iron: 1945 Whistle, Daughter, Whistle: 1947 The Long Portage: A Story of Ticonderoga and Lord Howe: 1948 Not Without Danger: A Story of the Colony of Jamaica in Revolutionary Days: 1951 Watergate: A Story of the Irish on the Erie Canal: 1951 Ranger's Ransom: 1953 The Columbus Cannon: 1954 Diane: 1954 The Sea Warriors: 1959 The Webfoot Warriors: The story of UDT, U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Team: 1962 Underwater Warriors: Story of the American Frogmen: 1967
Desmond the Dog Detective series
Desmond's First Case: 1961 Desmond the Dog Detective: The Case of the Lone Stranger: 1962 Desmond and the Peppermint Ghost: 1965 Desmond and Dog Friday: 1968
With Erick Berry
Concertina Farm: 1943 Men Who Changed the Map: 1968 The Polynesian Triangle: 1968
References
External links