Janice Holt Giles

Janice Holt Giles was an American writer, born on March 28, 1905, in Altus, Arkansas. She was given the name Janice Meredith Holt at birth and was the elder of three siblings. Her father, John Albert Holt, and mother, Lucy Elizabeth, raised their children in a small town atmosphere where family values were highly emphasized. Giles' early years were spent working various clerical jobs, many of which were affiliated with churches and organizations in Kentucky and Oklahoma.

In 1927, Giles married her first husband, Otto Moore, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1939. Following the end of her first marriage, Giles moved to Frankfort and began working as a secretary at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 1941. It was during this time that Giles began to explore her passion for writing, focusing on pseudo historical novels that depicted life on the American frontier, particularly within Kentucky.

Janice Holt Giles is best known for her series of novels that provide a unique perspective on life on the American frontier. Her works are highly regarded for their historical accuracy and rich depictions of the human experience in a time and place far removed from our own. Through her writing, Giles has left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire and captivate readers to this day. Her ability to transport readers to a different time and place, and to make them feel as if they are truly a part of the story, is a testament to her skill as a writer and her deep understanding of the human condition.
The Kentuckians Books
# Title Year
1 The Kentuckians 1953
2 Hannah Fowler 1956
3 The Believers 1957
4 The Land Beyond the Mountains 1959
5 Johnny Osage 1960
6 Savanna 1961
7 Voyage to Santa Fe 1962
8 Run Me a River 1964
9 The Great Adventure 1966
10 Six Horse Hitch 1969
The Kentuckians Series in Chronological Order
# Title Year
1 The Kentuckians 1953
2 Hannah Fowler 1956
3 The Land Beyond the Mountains 1959
4 The Believers 1957
5 Johnny Osage 1960
6 Voyage to Santa Fe 1962
7 Savanna 1961
8 The Great Adventure 1966
9 Run Me a River 1964
10 Six Horse Hitch 1969
Piney Ridge Books
# Title Year
1 The Enduring Hills 1950
2 Miss Willie 1951
3 Tara's Healing 1951
Standalone Novels
# Title Year
1 Harbin's Ridge 1951
2 Hill Man 1954
3 Plum Thicket 1954
4 Shady Grove 1978
5 Act of Contrition 2001
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 Forty Acres and No Mule 1952
2 A Little Better Than Plumb 1963
3 The Damned Engineers 1970
4 Around Our House 1971
5 The Kinta Years 1973
Janice Holt Giles Anthologies
# Title Year
1 Wellspring 1975