Best known for his historical novels, especially the winner of the 1956 Pulitzer Prize, Andersonville (1955), MacKinlay Kantor wrote many books and hundreds of short stories. When he is remembered in the literary annals of American short fiction, it will be for his entertaining tales appealing to pre-World War II readers's tastes for wholesome and uplifting narratives.

MacKinlay Kantor was born in Webster City, Iowa, on 4 February 1904. His autobiography But Look, the Morn (1947) describes the disastrous marriage (1899-1904) of his parents, Effie Rachel McKinlay Kantor and John Martin Kantor. His father lost many jobs, failed to support his family, and even spent time in jail; consequently, the couple separated before Kantor's birth and divorced soon thereafter. His birth certificate reads "Benjamin McKinlay Kantor," but he shed his "uncouth" first name in his youth, taking instead the original Highland Scottish form of his mother's maiden name (adding the "a" to McKinlay...