John Jakes

Born in Chicago on March 31, 1932, John Jakes became one of America's most popular historical novelists. He studied at DePauw University and later earned a master's degree in literature from Ohio State University, then worked in advertising before turning to writing full time.

Jakes built a long career across several genres, but his biggest success came with large-scale historical fiction. The Kent Family Chronicles helped make him a bestseller, and his Civil War-era North and South trilogy became especially famous, later reaching an even wider audience through television adaptation. His books were known for mixing family drama, romance, and vivid historical settings in a way that felt accessible to general readers.

He also had an important earlier career in science fiction and fantasy, publishing stories and novels under his own name and several pen names. John Jakes died on March 11, 2023, at age 90, leaving behind a body of work that introduced generations of readers to history through fast-moving, character-driven fiction.