Paul T. (Paul Thomas) Gilbert

For much of the first half of the twentieth century, Paul T. Gilbert worked as a journalist, and he is especially associated with the Chicago Evening Post. Accounts of his career describe him not only as a reporter and columnist, but also as someone who spent time around circus life, taking on roles such as acrobat, animal trainer, and clown before turning more fully to books.

He wrote across several genres. His 1903 book The Great White Tribe in Filipinia is an early travel and cultural study of the Philippines, while later readers may know him best for children's books such as Bertram and His Funny Animals and other Bertram stories.

Born on May 15, 1876, Gilbert was the son of a Methodist minister and author, Eli Gilbert. He died in 1953, leaving behind a body of work that blends curiosity, showmanship, and a reporter's eye for vivid detail.