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767:"My model for this was the four-volume history of the Plantagenets that Thomas B Costain wrote in the 50s. It's old‑fashioned history: he's not interested in analysing socioeconomic trends or cultural shifts so much as the wars and the assignations and the murders and the plots and the betrayals, all the juicy stuff. Costain did a wonderful job on the Plantagenets so I tried to do that for the Targaryens." George R. R. Martin,
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In 1940, he wrote four short novels but was "enough of an editor not to send them out". He next planned to write six books in a series he called "The
Stepchildren of History". He would write about six interesting but unknown historical figures. For his first, he wrote about the seventeenth-century
339:. He was described as a handsome, tall, broad-shouldered man with a pink and white complexion, clear blue eyes, and a slight Canadian accent. He was white-haired by the time he began to write novels. He loved animals and could not even kill a bug (but he also loved
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in May 1952 and he received a gold medallion from the
Canadian Club of New York in June 1965. The Thomas B. Costain public elementary school (1953) and the Thomas B. Costain – S.C. Johnson Community Centre (2002) in Brantford are named in his honour.
276:) and Dora (Mrs. Henry Darlington Steinmetz). in 1910, Costain joined the Maclean Publishing Group where he edited three trade journals. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of the
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reviewer stated at the end of the review "there will be no romantic-adventure lover left unsatisfied." In
January 1946 he "retired" to spend the rest of his life writing, at a rate of about 3,000 words a day.
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343:, and he did not extend the same policy to his partners). He also loved movies and the theatre (he met his future wife when she was performing Ruth in
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to around 1720) and fiction that relies heavily on historic events (one review stated it was hard to tell where history leaves off and
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also known as Bayan of the
Hundred Eyes. Costain noted in his foreword that he initially intended the book to be about Bayan and
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accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph
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with a first printing of 650,000 copies and sold over two million copies in its first year. In 1950, it was made into
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253:. Before graduating from high school, he had written four novels, one of which was a 70,000 word romance about
345:
788:
Luther, Philip. "Thomas
Bertram Costain" in the Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 7: 1961-1965.
643:(1956) a selection of novels and short stories chosen by Costain and John Beecroft. First of 3 collections.
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Ontario, Canada
Marriages, 1857-1924. MS932_145 (specifies York, Ontario as place of marriage)
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has cited
Costain's non-fiction books on the Plantagenet dynasty as an influence on his book
409:. Costain supported his theories with documentation, suggesting that the real murderer was
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at the age of 80. He is buried in the
Farringdon Independent Church Cemetery in Brantford.
382:'s parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. The book was a selection of the
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was a great monarch tarred by conspiracies, after his death, with the murder of the
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to John
Herbert Costain and Mary Schultz. He attended high school there at the
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was published, and it became a bestseller with over 132,000 copies sold. The
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Dictionary of
Literary Biography, Volume 9: American Novelists, 1910-1945.
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307:'s bureau of literary development (story department) from 1934 to 1942.
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between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge (1888–1975) in
769:"When I began Game of Thrones I thought it might be a short story"
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In 1920, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He also worked for
315:. In 1942, he realized his longtime dream when this first novel
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The Chord of Steel: The Story of the Invention of the Telephone
568:(1949) The author's "First Work of History", later reissued as
272:
on January 12, 1910. The couple had two children, Molly (Mrs.
225:(May 8, 1885 – October 8, 1965) was a Canadian-American
18:
801:"Southron, Jane Spence "The Pirate" July 26, 1942, page BR6.
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magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of
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Costain's work is a mixture of commercial history (such as
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He received a Doctor of Letters (D. Litt) degree from the
482:
Joshua: Leader of a United People - A Realistic Biography
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Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages
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Costain died in 1965 at his New York City home of a
257:. These early novels were rejected by publishers.
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771:George R. R. Martin interviewed by Alison Flood.
661:(1965), a selection of short stories and novellas
296:where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
260:His first writing success came in 1902 when the
46:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
8:
804:"Thos. Costain, Novelist and Editor, Dies"
777:, 10 November 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
370:(1945), centred in the time and actions of
303:as an editor 1939-1946. He was the head of
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198:Gold medallion, Canadian Club of New York
77:Learn how and when to remove this message
378:, but became caught up in the legend of
936:Canadian emigrants to the United States
733:
711:seven-episode mini-series aired in 1964
566:The Conquerors: The Pageant of England
440:became a writer of historical novels.
845:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
722:Bell Homestead National Historic Site
401:His research led him to believe that
335:to be an attendant of the Protestant
7:
364:begins). His most popular novel was
229:who became a best-selling author of
866:Brantford Public Library (archived)
255:Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
891:20th-century Canadian male writers
14:
741:Costain, Thomas B. (2018-04-03).
23:
896:20th-century Canadian novelists
331:, he was reported in the 1953
251:Brantford Collegiate Institute
171:Brantford Collegiate Institute
1:
901:Canadian historical novelists
484:(1943) - with Rogers MacVeagh
430:University of Western Ontario
195:University of Western Ontario
798:, October 16, 1934, page 31.
16:Canadian writer (1885–1965)
952:
921:Canadian newspaper editors
861:Brief biography (archived)
832:Works by Thomas B. Costain
822:Works by Thomas B. Costain
911:Canadian male journalists
906:Canadian magazine editors
855:The Canadian Encyclopedia
655:(1961) with John Beecroft
649:(1958) with John Beecroft
543:The Darkness And The Dawn
289:The Saturday Evening Post
98:
647:More Stories to Remember
32:This article includes a
916:Canadian male novelists
744:The Magnificent Century
614:The Magnificent Century
346:The Pirates of Penzance
61:more precise citations.
926:Writers from Brantford
850:Thomas Bertram Costain
683:Son of a Hundred Kings
602:The Pageant of England
600:series (also known as
591:a Landmark book (1959)
577:The White and the Gold
530:(1955) illustrated by
514:Son of a Hundred Kings
459:A Song of Ice and Fire
438:Molly Costain Haycraft
354:The White and The Gold
270:York Township, Ontario
223:Thomas Bertram Costain
626:The Last Plantagenets
608:The Conquering Family
589:William the Conqueror
570:The Conquering Family
311:pirate John Ward aka
666:Films from his works
457:, part of Martin's "
407:princes in the tower
241:Costain was born in
206:Ida Randolph Spragge
641:Stories to Remember
449:George R. R. Martin
372:Bayan of the Baarin
808:, October 9, 1965.
705:The Chord of Steel
694:The Silver Chalice
521:The Silver Chalice
476:For My Great Folly
424:Awards and honours
317:For My Great Folly
233:at the age of 57.
181:Historical fiction
154:Journalist, author
34:list of references
841:Thomas B. Costain
836:Project Gutenberg
754:978-1-78912-136-0
747:. Papamoa Press.
659:Come Read with Me
620:The Three Edwards
388:a successful film
333:Current Biography
262:Brantford Courier
231:historical novels
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191:Doctor of Letters
93:Thomas B. Costain
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697:(1954) starring
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337:Episcopal Church
305:20th Century Fox
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167:Alma mater
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134:October 8, 1965
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502:The Moneyman
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493:
488:Ride With Me
487:
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465:Publications
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418:heart attack
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396:Tyrone Power
392:Orson Welles
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327:Raised as a
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136:(1965-10-08)
73:
67:January 2023
64:
53:Please help
45:
886:1965 deaths
881:1885 births
699:Paul Newman
689:mini-series
635:Other works
560:Non-fiction
545:(1959) (on
528:The Tontine
508:High Towers
403:Richard III
398:as Walter.
159:Nationality
118:May 8, 1885
59:introducing
875:Categories
826:Faded Page
728:References
461:" series.
358:New France
227:journalist
151:Occupation
114:1885-05-08
444:Influence
411:Henry VII
390:starring
362:apocrypha
313:Jack Ward
283:Maclean's
243:Brantford
121:Brantford
828:(Canada)
716:See also
376:Edward I
211:Children
162:Canadian
145:New York
141:New York
843:at the
707:(1960)
685:(1950)
329:Baptist
280:-based
278:Toronto
247:Ontario
125:Ontario
55:improve
751:
628:(1962)
622:(1958)
616:(1951)
610:(1949)
585:(1960)
579:(1954)
555:(1963)
539:(1957)
524:(1952)
516:(1950)
510:(1949)
504:(1947)
498:(1945)
490:(1944)
478:(1942)
470:Novels
341:bridge
203:Spouse
214:Molly
177:Genre
40:, or
749:ISBN
595:The
237:Life
216:Dora
131:Died
108:Born
852:at
834:at
824:at
709:CBC
687:CBC
349:).
292:in
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