author

Dudley A. (Dudley Acton) Bragdon

1876–1917

Best remembered as the co-author of the imaginative children's fantasy Billy Bounce, this early-20th-century writer helped bring one of W. W. Denslow's whimsical creations into book form. Though little biographical detail survives, his brief career left behind a lively adventure that still reaches readers through public-domain editions.

1 Audiobook

Billy Bounce

Billy Bounce

by W. W. (William Wallace) Denslow, Dudley A. (Dudley Acton) Bragdon

About the author

Dudley Acton Bragdon was born on July 29, 1876, and died on October 1, 1917. Reliable surviving records about his life are scarce, but he is documented as the author credited alongside illustrator and creator W. W. Denslow on Billy Bounce.

Published in 1906, Billy Bounce grew out of Denslow's comic-strip character and became Bragdon's best-known work. The book blends fantasy, humor, and fast-moving adventure, following a boy whose bouncing exploits carry him through a string of strange and playful episodes.

Because so little else is firmly documented, Bragdon remains an elusive figure today. Even so, his name continues to be preserved through reprints and digital editions of Billy Bounce, which give modern listeners and readers a glimpse of a colorful corner of early American children's literature.