47 1950 American novels

The 13 Clocks is a fantasy tale written by James Thurber in 1950, while he was completing one of his other novels. It is written in a unique cadenced style, in which a mysterious prince must complete a seemingly impossible task to free a maiden from the clutches of an evil duke. It invokes many fairy tale motifs.

A Long Day’s Dying is the debut novel of the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. Published in 1950 with Alfred A. Knopf, the novel was received with critical acclaim.

Across the River and Into the Trees is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1950, after first being serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine earlier that year. The title is derived from the last words of U.S. Civil War Confederate General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson: “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.”

Amos Fortune, Free Man is a biographical novel by Elizabeth Yates that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1951. It is about a young African prince who is captured and taken to America as a slave. He masters a trade, purchases his freedom and dies free in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, in 1801.

The Bride of Newgate, first published in 1950, is a historical whodunnit novel by American writer John Dickson Carr, which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives. Set in England in 1815, the book combines two literary genres, historical fiction and the whodunit/detective story and is "one of the earliest historical mystery novels."

Burning Bright is a 1950 novella by John Steinbeck written as an experiment with producing a play in novel format. Rather than providing only the dialogue and brief stage directions as would be expected in a play, Steinbeck fleshes out the scenes with details of both the characters and the environment. The intention was to allow the play to be read by the non-theatrical reader while still allowing the dialogue to be lifted and performed with little adaptation by acting companies. While Steinbeck could see that providing little information in the way of physical description or stage direction allowed the director and actors greater freedom and scope for imaginative interpretation, he weighed this against the benefit of making the players aware of the author's intent and making the play accessible to the general reader.

The Castle of Iron is the title of a fantasy novella by American authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, and of the novel into which it was later expanded by the same authors. It was the third story in their Harold Shea series. As a 35,000 word novella it was first published in the fantasy magazine Unknown for April, 1941. The revised and expanded novel version was first published in hardcover by Gnome Press in 1950, and in paperback by Pyramid Books in 1962. The book has been reprinted by a number of other publishers since its first appearance. An E-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form. The novel has been combined with other books in the series in the omnibus editions The Compleat Enchanter (1975), The Complete Compleat Enchanter (1989) and The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (2007). It has also been translated into Italian.

Cosmic Engineers is a science fiction novel by American author Clifford D. Simak. It was published in 1950 by Gnome Press in an edition of 6,000 copies, of which 1,000 were bound in paperback for an armed forces edition. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Astounding in 1939.

Dark Green, Bright Red is a novel by Gore Vidal, concerning a revolution headed by a former military dictator in an unnamed Central American republic. The book was first published in 1950 in the United States by E. P. Dutton. It drew upon Vidal's experiences living in Guatemala during the Guatemalan Revolution.

The Dark Other is a horror novel by Stanley G. Weinbaum. It was first published in 1950 by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. in an edition of 700 copies. The manuscript, written in the 1920s, was originally titled The Mad Brain. With permission of his widow, Forrest J Ackerman edited it, modernizing the manuscript to remove some of the "anachronisms" of the 20s.

The Dog Star is a novel by American writer Donald Windham, first published in 1950. It tells the story of a young Southern man who is haunted by the suicide of his best friend from reform school. Set in 1930s post-Depression Atlanta, the novel's themes include dysfunctional families, traditionalism, urban anomie, homosexuality, and suicide.

Double, Double is a novel that was published in 1949 by Ellery Queen. It is a mystery novel set in the imaginary New England town of Wrightsville, US.

The Dreaming Jewels, also known as The Synthetic Man, is a science fiction novel by American writer Theodore Sturgeon. It was his first published novel.

The Drowning Pool is a 1950 mystery novel by American writer Ross Macdonald, his second book in the series revolving around the cases of private detective Lew Archer.

Elmer and the Dragon is the second in the My Father's Dragon trilogy of children's novels by Ruth Stiles Gannett. It is preceded by My Father's Dragon and followed by The Dragons of Blueland. In this book, Elmer Elevator and his recently liberated dragon friend travel home, but find themselves marooned on another island inhabited by talkative animals. The illustrations within the book are black and white lithographs, done by Ruth Chrisman Gannett.

Face of a Hero is a novel written by American writer Louis Falstein and published in 1950. Though out of print for a long time, interest in this narrative, dealing with the war experience of a B-24 tail gunner in Southern Europe during the Second World War was rekindled when it was suggested that it inspired Joseph Heller while writing his well-known war novel Catch-22.

The Family Moskat is a novel written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, originally written in Yiddish. It was Singer's first book published in English.

Farmer In The Sky is a 1950 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein about a teenaged boy who emigrates with his family to Jupiter's moon Ganymede, which is in the process of being terraformed. Among Heinlein's juveniles, a condensed version of the novel was published in serial form in Boys' Life magazine, under the title "Satellite Scout". The novel was awarded a Retro Hugo in 2001.

First Lensman is a science fiction novel and space opera by American author E. E. Smith. It was first published in 1950 by Fantasy Press in an edition of 5,995 copies. Although it is the second novel in the Lensman series, it was the sixth written. The novel chronicles the founding of the Galactic Patrol by Virgil Samms, the first sentient being in our cosmos to wear the "Lens", a unique badge of authority which is actually a form of "pseudo-life" that grants telepathic powers to the defenders of Civilization.

The Five Gold Bands is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack Vance, first published in the November 1950 issue of Startling Stories magazine. It was published in 1953 as a separate book under the title The Space Pirate, and in 1963 it was paired with Vance's Hugo Award-winning novella The Dragon Masters in the form of an Ace Double.

The Hand of Zei is a science fiction novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the second book of his Viagens Interplanetarias series and its subseries of stories set on the fictional planet Krishna. The book has a convoluted publication history.

Henry Huggins is the first book in the Henry Huggins series of children's novels, written by Beverly Cleary. Henry is an ordinary boy who manages to get into funny scrapes with his dog, Ribsy. First published on September 6, 1950, it was originally illustrated by Louis Darling and later by Tracy Dockray. It has been translated into Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish, and published as audio books read by Barbara Caruso and Neil Patrick Harris.

The House of Breath is a novel written by the American author William Goyen. It was his first book, published in 1950. It is not a novel in the usual sense in that it lacks traditional plot and character development. Upon its publication, reviewers noted the book for its unusual literary technique and style. Goyen called it a series of “arias”. Some critics have called it not a novel at all but a work to be read as poetry, over and over. The book touches on themes of family (kinship), human sexuality, place, time, and memory. It received critical acclaim upon its publication, not commercial success, but it did lead the way for support of the author’s further work through fellowships.

Hunt With the Hounds is a mystery novel by Mignon G. Eberhart. It is one of her stand-alone mysteries. It was published as A Witness for my Love in the June & July 1950 issues of Woman's Home Companion, then published by Random House in 1950 as part of its "Detective Book Club" series. It was reprinted as a mass market paperback in 1963 by Popular Library, and in 2011 by Symonds Press (ISBN 978-1447412625).

In the Best Families is a Nero Wolfe detective novel by Rex Stout, first published by the Viking Press in 1950. The story was collected in the omnibus volumes Five of a Kind and Triple Zeck.

Joy Street is a 1950 novel by Frances Parkinson Keyes. Despite only being released on December 1, 1950, it was ranked as the second best-selling novel in the United States for 1950. Over two million copies were in print by the mid-1950s. It also topped the New York Times Best Seller list for eight weeks in 1951.

Jubilee Trail is a novel written by Gwen Bristow, copyrighted in 1950. It follows the adventures of two strong women in the mid-19th century as they travel across the United States to the then-Mexican territory of California. The novel is still in print, with forewords included by Nancy E. Turner and Sandra Dallas.

The Lady Decides is a fantasy novel by author David H. Keller, M.D.. It was first published in 1950 by Prime Press in an edition of 400 copies, all of which were signed, numbered and slipcased.

Lee and Grant at Appomattox is an historical fiction children's novel by MacKinlay Kantor. It was originally published in 1950 by Random House, and later published in paperback by Sterling Point Books.

The Martian Chronicles is a science fiction fix-up novel, published in 1950, by American writer Ray Bradbury that chronicles the exploration and settlement of Mars, the home of indigenous Martians, by Americans leaving a troubled Earth that is eventually devastated by nuclear war. The book is a work of science fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, dystopian fiction, and horror that projects American society immediately after World War II into a technologically advanced future where the amplification of humanity's potentials to create and destroy have both miraculous and devastating consequences.

Masked Prowler, The Story of a Raccoon (1950) is a children's novel written by John and Jean George and illustrated by Jean George, more famously known by her later novels as Jean Craighead George.

My Gun Is Quick (1950) is Mickey Spillane's second novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer. It was the basis for the 1957 film of the same name.

Night at the Mocking Widow is a mystery novel by the American writer John Dickson Carr, who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a whodunnitfeaturing the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale.

Nomad is a science fiction novel by American writer George O. Smith. It was first published in book form in 1950 by Prime Press in an edition of 2,500 copies. The novel was originally serialized in three parts in the magazine Astounding beginning in December 1944, under Smith's pseudonym, Wesley Long.

Pebble in the Sky is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1950. This work is his first novel — parts of the Foundation series had appeared from 1942 onwards in magazines, but Foundation was not published in book form until 1951. The original Foundation books are also a string of linked episodes, whereas this is a complete story involving a single group of characters.

The Proud and the Free is a historical novel by Howard Fast that was published in 1950. It tells the story of the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny from the enlisted men's point of view.

Quatrefoil: A Modern Novel, sometimes called Quatrefoil, is a novel about gay men written in 1950 by James W. Fugaté under the pen name James Barr. It is known for being the first modern book to portray homosexuality in a positive way. The main character, Phillip, is based on a college fraternity brother that the author had an affair with while in college.

The Rat Race is a science fiction novel by American writer Jay Franklin. It was first published in book form in 1950 by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. in an edition of 1,500 copies of which 1,200 were hardcover. The novel originally appeared in the magazine Collier's Weekly in 1947.

The Secret of the Lost Tunnel is Volume 29 in the original The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories published by Grosset & Dunlap.

The Secret of the Wooden Lady is the twenty-seventh volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. It was first published in 1950 under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. The actual author was ghostwriter Margaret Scherf.

Shadow on the Hearth is a science fiction novel by American writer Judith Merril, originally published in hardcover by Doubleday in 1950. It was her first novel. A British hardcover was published by Sidgwick & Jackson in 1953, with a paperback following from Compact Books in 1966. Italian translations appeared in 1956 and 1992; a German translation was issued in 1982. It was included in Spaced Out: Three Novels of Tomorrow, a 2008 NESFA Press omnibus compiling all Merril's novels. No American paperback of Shadow on the Hearth has ever been published, although a book club edition appeared.

Strangers on a Train (1950) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith about two men whose lives become entangled after one of them proposes they "trade" murders.

The Town and the City is a novel by Jack Kerouac, published by Harcourt Brace in 1950. This was the first major work published by Kerouac, who later became famous for his second novel On the Road (1957). Like all of Jack Kerouac's major works, The Town and the City is essentially an autobiographical novel, though less directly so than most of his other works. The Town and the City was written in a conventional manner over a period of years, and much more novelistic license was taken with this work than after Kerouac's adoption of quickly written "spontaneous prose". The Town and the City was written before Kerouac had developed his own style, and it is heavily influenced by Thomas Wolfe.

The Town (1950) is a novel written by American author Conrad Richter. It is the third installment of his trilogy The Awakening Land. The Trees (1940) and The Fields (1946) were the earlier portions of the series. The Town was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1951.

Vengeance Is Mine (1950) is Mickey Spillane's third novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.

The Wizard of Linn is a science fiction novel by Canadian American writer A. E. van Vogt, a sequel to Empire of the Atom. The novel was originally serialized in the science fiction magazine Astounding Science Fiction. It was first published in book form in Germany in 1961 by Terra Sonderband, as Der Zauberer von Linn.

Women's Barracks: The Frank Autobiography of a French Girl Soldier is a classic work of lesbian pulp fiction by French writer Tereska Torrès published in 1950. Historians credit it as the first US paperback-original bestseller, as the first lesbian pulp fiction book published in America, and as "the pioneer of lesbian fiction". As the first of its genre, it received heavy backlash, and it was banned in Canada. Its popularity prompted the formation of the House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials in the United States. Its original cover art is considered a classic image of lesbian fiction.