author
Martin Quigley
1917–2011
A lively man of letters who moved easily between publishing, public service, and film history, he wrote with the curiosity of an insider and the range of a born storyteller. His work reflects a life that stretched far beyond the page, from magazine publishing to local politics and wartime service.
1 Audiobook
Magic Shadows: The Story of the Origin of Motion Pictures
by Martin Quigley
About the author
Born in Chicago on November 24, 1917, Martin Quigley Jr. became known as a publisher, author, and civic leader. He was closely tied to the world of film publishing and wrote Magic Shadows, a history of the origins of motion pictures first published by Georgetown University Press in 1948.
His life reached well beyond writing. Sources describe him as a writer, editor, publisher, educator, and twice-elected mayor of Larchmont, New York. His obituary also remembers his service during World War II, adding another dimension to a career that already spanned media, education, and public life.
Quigley died on February 5, 2011, in West Hartford, Connecticut. The picture that emerges is of a deeply engaged twentieth-century figure: someone at home in books and ideas, but just as active in community life and public service.