Even a quick examination of Chapter 1 reveals John Jakes as a person in
love with words and a master craftsman in using them--from the thir-
teen-year-old who became a page at the Chicago Public Library so he
could borrow adult books, to the advertising executive conscious of
every word's value in a thirty-second radio commercial or the precisely
evocative copy headline, to, finally, the best-selling novelist whose new
title can be expected to sell at least 3 million copies. Over the years, he
has written voluminously--over 70 books, 200 short stories, and occa-
sional articles. Not only has he been incredibly prolific, but he has also
been incredibly versatile, having written mystery / suspense, science fic-
tion, fantasy, juvenile works--both fiction and nonfiction--and musical
comedy in addition to the historical fiction for which he is most well
known.

This diversity may create an uneven body of work. Jakes is aware of
potential problems. He wrote in 1977, "I like to do too many kinds of
things, and I think that's always been one of my troubles. I never really
specialized enough" ( Polking, 23). Moreover, some of the early work was
done quickly, especially before he became a full-time writer. Even later,
contract demands--as with the Kent Family Chronicles--required a re-
lentless pace. Critics thus sometimes attack him for his very speed--
implying a corresponding shallowness--or ponder the rumor that John
Jakes was the "corporate name for a whole team of writers and research-

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