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Earl Hamner: From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow Paperback – July 28, 2012

by James E. Person (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 211 ratings
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“Since Spencer’s Mountain I have followed Earl Hamner’s career with much interest and much satisfaction, having picked a winner.” —Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird

Earl Hamner, one of America’s best-loved storytellers, has never been the subject of a full-length study. Earl Hamner: From Walton’s Mountain to Tomorrow fills that gap.

A native Virginian, Hamner once said, “Even though families are said to be shattered these days, and God is said to be dead, if people can revisit the scenes and places where these values did exist, possibly they can come to believe in them again, or . . . to adapt some kind of belief in God, or faith in the family unit, or just getting home again.” This vision of what makes for a whole life permeates all of Hamner’s work. It is present in the novel Spencer’s Mountain, upon which The Waltons was loosely based, and in his screenplays, such as the work he is perhaps most proud of, Charlotte’s Web. It is even present in such unlikely places as the eight scripts he contributed to the classic television series The Twilight Zone and the tales of cold-blooded betrayal and boundless ambition depicted on Falcon Crest.

In Earl Hamner: From Walton’s Mountain to Tomorrow, readers will discover the integrated nature of his career, finding that there is no real conflict between the warm folksiness of The Waltons, the offbeat fantasies of his Twilight Zone scripts, the unscrupulous ethics displayed on Falcon Crest, and the myriad other novels and scripts he has written and TV programs he has produced. Instead, readers will find that there is a pervasive theme running throughout Hamner’s work, that of a man forever taking a backward glance at his roots for direction in finding what makes life worthwhile. Upon learning that this book was being written, Hamner told one of his friends, “I can’t imagine anyone wanting to read a book about me, much less write one about me.” Readers of this book will find Hamner’s doubts indeed misplaced. They will also discover a delightful individual who has enjoyed a long, accomplished career as a storyteller laboring for a worthy goal: that posterity may know of an age and a people whose legacy has not, through silence, been permitted to pass away as if a dream.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    322 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cumberland House Publishing
  4. Publication date
    July 28, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.98 x 0.72 x 9.02 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1620454092
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1620454091
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JAMES PERSON is the author of Russell Kirk: A Critical Biography of a Conservative Mind and the editor of The Unbought Grace of Life: Essays in Honor of Russell Kirk. He has also contributed more than one hundred essays, articles, and reviews to scholarly journals and journals of opinion. He lives with his wife and family in Northville, Michigan.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cumberland House Publishing (July 28, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 322 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1620454092
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1620454091
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.08 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.72 x 9.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 211 ratings

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James E. Person

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
211 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

terre woodward
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book and well-written
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2015
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Excellent book and well-written. Interesting background information on the Hamner family, and how the Waltons television series mirrored many of Hamner's own growing-up experiences. The book is also about writing, scripting, disappointments, the politics of television, etc. Mr. Hamner was involved in many films and television projects over his career besides the Waltons series. Interviews with the 'Walton children' and others who worked with Earl Hamner on various films and projects. And - many photographs....
19 people found this helpful
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Teaheart
5.0 out of 5 stars Earl
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2010
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This is a wonderfully written book and I so enjoyed reading about the creator of The Waltons.I could see our family in his as so many people have said in the past.I was busy raising my family and was not aware of the publishcation of this book until recently.In reading this book I could just see in my minds eye this family struggling during the time and aways supporting each other in everything.I am planning to send this along to my brother who also enjoys this large familys adventures through those trying years.
Lillian
6 people found this helpful
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Ruffian
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and well written.
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2021
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Very well written by the author. Could not put down the book. Very interesting. Reflective of all his work.
5 people found this helpful
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Margaret Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Earl Hamner
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2011
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This was a very good read. I am still an avid fan of the Waltons and reading about the man who created them was wonderful. It makes me homesick for another time and place. If only we could get back to the basics of a time like when the stories took place what a different world we might have, Earl Hamner appreciated what he had and his memories are to be shared with us all.
4 people found this helpful
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Matthew
4.0 out of 5 stars I am a fan of Earl Hamner, but I wish he was the author of this bio
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2006
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Earl Hamner is genious, intelligent, heartfelt, honest man. He created the best show on t.v., "The Waltons." This books opens a lot of interesting history of his career and family. The author spends too much time indulging other writers works, and trying to compare them to Earl Hamner. I wish Earl was the author of his bio. You will discover his works from Charlotte's Web, Falcon Crest, Snowy River, Spencer's Mountain, The Homecoming,and of course, The Waltons.

Sections of the book gets very boring, and turns away from Earl's life. The rest of the book is well written. We need more writers & producers like Earl Hamner.

God Bless The Waltons!
19 people found this helpful
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J. Tichenor
5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Study of Earl Hamner's Writings
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2011
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Although I have been extremely fond of the Walton's since The Homecoming in 1971, it had never occurred to me to think of Earl Hamner as a prominent Southern writer in the way that I think of Robert Penn Warren, Thomas Wolfe, Eudora Welty and others. Perhaps it was because he wrote for television. This book changed that notion. James Person goes behind the scenes and gives a compelling interpretation of all of Hamner's writings, how his work evolved, and how he was able to adapt artistic ideas to highly successful prime time television--from the Twilight Zone to the Walton's to Falcon Crest. Discussions of Hamner as a prominent Southern writer and a pillar of American culture are long overdue, and many thanks to James Person for beginning such a conversation.
22 people found this helpful
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Swampfoxer
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2011
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For anyone who enjoyed "The Waltons", you'll also enjoy the behind the scenes of Earl Hamner and his adventures making it. He has a very rich history and, yes, s wonderful way with words. Great photos showing the real family and Earl as well as the real house. You cannot bypass this book if you want to know the history of "Waltons Mountain" and the person who became part of our family for 9 seasons ... and is still to be found if you want to be inspired.
15 people found this helpful
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Darlene
5.0 out of 5 stars Love the book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2018
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I love reading this bio of Earl Hamner. He was such a HUGE talent. He was a very interesting man. There's a lot of information in this book, that I didn't know. There's pictures of Mr. Hamner and his family. There's pictures of the Waltons Mountain Cast. I enjoyed it very much.
18 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

jordy1990
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect
Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2021
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Exactly what we were looking for
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David Moody
5.0 out of 5 stars Earl Hamner: A Biography from Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2014
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A moving an evocative biography of a writer who grew up during the depression in small small town America. His memoirs were to inspire the much loved TV series "The Waltons" as narated by Earl Hamner. A great book.
4 people found this helpful
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Joanne Tarplee
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2017
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This arrived in perfect condition as stated. Really pleased with this purchase at an affordable price.
One person found this helpful
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Judith L. Mcwaters
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 7, 2016
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All good!
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Mrs Sally Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2017
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thanks
One person found this helpful
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