Allan Wesley Eckert was an American author, historian, and naturalist who is best known for his historical fiction, children's novels, and non-fiction books. He was born on January 30, 1931, in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. At a young age, Eckert developed a love for nature and American history, which would become the central themes of his writing. When he was thirteen years old, he began writing about these topics, and his passion for them only grew stronger as he got older.
Eckert's travels as a young man took him across the United States, where he hitched rides and lived off the land. These experiences provided him with valuable insights into wildlife and the natural world, which he would later incorporate into his writing. He attended college near Bellefontaine, Ohio, and spent many years living in this town. Eckert's love for American history was evident in his writing, and seven of his books were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Throughout his career, Eckert wrote numerous books for both children and adults, including the children's novel Incident at Hawk's Hill, which was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal in 1972. He also wrote several unproduced screenplays and more than 225 Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom television shows, for which he received an Emmy Award. In a 1999 poll conducted by the Ohioana Library Association, Eckert was voted "Favorite Ohio Writer of All Time," jointly with Toni Morrison. He died in his sleep on July 7, 2011, in Corona, California, at the age of 80.
Eckert's writing was highly regarded, and he received numerous accolades for his work. His children's novel Incident at Hawk's Hill was a Newbery Medal runner-up, and his historical fiction novel The Frontiersman won the American Historical Fiction Award. In addition to his Pulitzer Prize nominations, Eckert received an Emmy Award for his work on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. His writing was characterized by his deep knowledge of American history and his ability to bring the past to life in a way that was both engaging and informative. Eckert's legacy as a writer and historian continues to inspire and educate readers of all ages.