John Jakes, a name synonymous with captivating historical sagas, carved a unique path in American literature. Despite achieving phenomenal success and becoming a household name, Jakes remained remarkably grounded. Described as a modest and genial family man, he hardly fit the mold of a flamboyant celebrity author. With his unassuming demeanor and signature thick, bowl-cut gray hair, Jakes navigated the world of fame with an affable grace. He diligently engaged with his readers, participating in interviews, making television appearances, and patiently greeting long lines of fans at book signings. His substantial novels were ubiquitous in bookstores across the nation, yet Jakes seemed most content in quieter pursuits – exploring Civil War battlegrounds or immersing himself in research at local libraries in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Bird Key in Sarasota, Florida, where he spent a significant part of his year.
“I feel a real responsibility to my readers,” John Jakes stated in a 1982 interview with The Washington Post, highlighting his deep connection with his audience. He recognized that for many, his novels were their primary gateway to history. “I began to realize about two or three books into the Kent series that I was the only source of history that some of these people had ever had. Maybe they’ll never read a Barbara Tuchman book — but down at the Kmart they’ll pick up one of mine.” This quote encapsulates Jakes’s understanding of his role and his commitment to making history accessible to a broad readership.
Known for his unwavering work ethic, John Jakes rarely took vacations and maintained a rigorous writing schedule, often producing up to 5,000 words daily. He made no grand claims to high literary art, readily acknowledging his position as a storyteller focused on engaging his audience. Critics often labeled him a “journeyman storyteller,” a description that Jakes likely wouldn’t have refuted. His strength lay in his ability to weave historically accurate narratives, populating his books with both fictional characters and real historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Abraham Lincoln, and Jefferson Davis. His devoted readers eagerly devoured his tales filled with abductions, adulteries, secret documents, inheritance disputes, and other classic elements of popular fiction.
Jakes’s journey to literary stardom began with freelance writing while he worked in advertising from 1954 to 1971. During this period, he honed his craft, publishing hundreds of short stories across diverse genres in magazines like Galaxy Science Fiction and Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine. He also ventured into paperback and hardcover novels, primarily westerns and fantasies, sometimes using pen names such as Jay Scotland and Alan Payne.
His career reached a turning point in 1974 at the age of 42 with the release of “The Bastard.” This novel marked the beginning of “The Kent Family Chronicles,” an epic series of eight paperback volumes launched in the 1970s, strategically timed to capitalize on the bicentennial celebrations of 1976. “The Kent Family Chronicles” became a cultural phenomenon, selling an astounding 55 million copies and solidifying John Jakes’s place as a master of popular historical fiction.
