Merrimeg — William Bowen

Bowen (1877-1937) was an American attorney who wrote several children's books in the 1920s, most notably the fantasy novel The Old Tobacco Shop (1921) that was a runner-up for the inaugural Newbury Medal in 1922. Born in Baltimore, he earned a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Maryland in 1898 and worked in his father's law office until 1904 when he moved to Los Angeles. There he was a member of the Olympic Committee as attorney for the 1932 Summer Olympics, and was also a member of the California and Southern California Historical Societies. His first childtren's book was The Enchanted Forest published by Macmillan in late 1920, followed by The Old Tobacco Shop a year later. This work first published in 1923 includes 14 full-page illustrations and others integrated with the text by Emma Brock.