Donald J. Sobol, the author of the “Encyclopedia Brown” series, has died.
From Entertainment Weekly: “The Encyclopedia Brown series centers on Leroy ‘Encyclopedia’ Brown, a boy detective nicknamed for his vast knowledge of facts, who helps his police chief father solve local cases, usually by dinner time. Sobol came up with the concept when he came across a book by chance at the New York Public Library. The book had puzzles on one side of the page and solutions on the other, and it occurred to him to write a mystery book in the same style.”
From The Boston Globe: “The Encyclopedia Brown books also featured Brown’s friend and detective partner, the tough and athletic Sally Kimball. John Sobol said his father was ahead of his times in creating a strong female character. ‘That was groundbreaking back in 1963 when the series was first published,’ Sobol said. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Encyclopedia Brown series. Donald Sobol’s latest Encyclopedia Brown adventure, ‘Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme,’ will be published in October, according to a release from Penguin.”