author
Ferdinand C. (Ferdinand Cole) Lane
1885–1984
A lively science writer and longtime baseball editor, he brought the natural world to young readers with the same curiosity and clarity that shaped his journalism. His books roam from oceans and rivers to mountains and lakes, always with an eye for wonder and plain-spoken explanation.
1 Audiobook
On old Cape Cod
by Ferdinand C. (Ferdinand Cole) Lane
About the author
Born in 1885 near Moorhead, Minnesota, Ferdinand Cole Lane moved to Cape Cod as a child and later studied at Tabor Academy, Boston University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Early in his career he worked in biology and served with the Massachusetts Commission of Fisheries and Game, interests that helped shape the accessible science writing he became known for.
Lane also had a major career in sports journalism. He joined Baseball Magazine in the 1910s and became a prolific editor and writer, publishing hundreds of articles and interviews about the game. His papers and correspondence are preserved in collections at Boston University and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, reflecting how widely his work ranged.
As an author, he wrote popular nonfiction for general and younger readers, including books such as The Mysterious Sea, Earth's Grandest Rivers, The World's Great Lakes, and The Story of Mountains. He died in 1984, leaving behind a body of work that linked careful research with an inviting sense of adventure.