author
Joseph Gilpin Pyle
b. 1853
A journalist, librarian, and biographer whose work moved between public affairs and literary curiosity, he is best remembered for the two-volume authorized life of railroad builder James J. Hill. His career also included newspaper editing in St. Paul and Seattle, plus contributions to the ninth edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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About the author
Born in 1853 and dying in 1930, Joseph Gilpin Pyle was an American librarian, editor, and biographer. Reference sources consistently identify him as a librarian and biographer, and surviving records connect him with a long career in journalism and public writing.
Pyle worked on major newspapers in St. Paul and Seattle, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Later, he became librarian of the James J. Hill Reference Library in St. Paul. His writing ranged from essays and commentary to reference work, and he also contributed an article on Minnesota to the ninth edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Today he is most closely associated with The Life of James J. Hill, the substantial authorized biography published in 1917. Other bibliographic records also link him to The Little Cryptogram, showing the breadth of his interests beyond biography alone.