George W. (George William) Cronyn

Born in 1888, George W. Cronyn was an American poet, editor, and writer whose work ranged across literature, folklore, and radio. He is especially remembered for The Path on the Rainbow, an anthology that brought together Native American songs and chants in translation and helped introduce many non-Native readers to that body of work.

Cronyn’s career was not limited to books. He was also associated with radio writing and production, which fits the broad, public-minded character of his work: he seemed drawn to forms that carried stories, voices, and traditions to a wider audience. That mix of literary and broadcast work gives his career an unusual shape for the period.

He died in 1969. While he is not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries, his name continues to surface through reprints and library records, especially in connection with anthologies of American Indian poetry and chant.