RIP Donald J. Sobol - "Encyclopedia Brown" author

Man, I loved reading those Encyclopedia Brown stories back when I was in grade school.

Long story regarding what Encyclopedia Brown taught me: I remember the solution to one of the cases involved a woman dressed as a man who sat with her back to the wall in a restaurant and Sally cracked the case because she knew it was proper etiquette for a woman to sit with her back to the wall so everyone could see her. I mention this because the other night my wife & I went out to dinner for the first time in a long time and I let her take the chair with her back to the mirrored wall. She told me I only let her take that seat so I could look in the mirror and know when I needed to wipe food off my face. I told her I let her take that chair because it was proper manners to let the woman sit with her back to the wall so everyone in the restaurant could admire her beauty. My wife asked me "where did you learn that?" I laughed and said "reading Encyclopedia Brown"

 

So Did I. RIP.

 

Encyclopedia Brown was the first place I learned water skis don't take wax. I had not skied on either snow nor water at that point in my life, but still, useful knowledge that has stuck with me.

 

Mr. Sobol must've written these books at a fairly young age himself. The physical books were old as hell when I was in fourth grade, if memory serves.

 

Wrote 2 minute mysteries as well. Good writer.

 

According to wiki, Sobol was born in 1924 and the first Encyclopedia Brown book was published in 1963. So he was in his very late 30s when the series started.

 

Damn, RIP.

Absolutely loved those stories as a kid.

 

This is hilarious, because I learned the exact same thing from Encyclopedia Brown. Still apply it today. It even bothers me when I see men take the seat facing the restaraunt instead of letting their date sit there.

On another note, I always thought the red-headed bully from "A Christmas Story" would have been perfect as Bugs Meany.

 

Anyone remember the Danny Dunn books? Lots of pretty fantastic scientific stuff that in retrospect closely mirrors today's technologies, such as flying drones and using gravity to bounce off planets like billiard balls. They are at least as old as the Encyclopedia Brown books.

 

I adored "Encyclopedia Brown." Absolutely loved it. I remember there was even a brief TV show. Don't know why it lasted; I figured it would've made for a great kids show.

This is a very sad Monday.

 

Funny, I always tried to sit with my back to the wall after reading the story of Wild Bill Hickock.

 

My stepfather absolutely will not, under any circumstances, sit with his back to the door in a public place. No idea of his reasoning, but he's fairly adamant about it.