by Bruce W. Taylor of New Liskeard, Ontario
When Leslie McFarlane died at Whitby, Ontario on September 6, 1977, he was well known as one of the most prolific, productive writers of television dramas and documentary films in Canada at that time. What was not widely known, even in his "hometown" of Haileybury, or in Whitby, where he lived, was that he, using a pen name, Franklin W. Dixon, was the author of the enormously popular Hardy Boys books, making him, in all probability, Canada's best-selling author of all time.
Although not born in Haileybury, Leslie McFarlane considered this small northeastern Ontario community his "hometown." It was in Haileybury that he spent his formative years, and where the seeds of his writing career were planted and nurtured, so that when he left high school at the age of 17, he knew that he wanted to be a writer, and he pursued this goal relentlessly.
This work is not intended to be a comprehensive biography of Leslie McFarlane. Rather, it is intended to be a summary of his life and career, particularly as it related to the Town of Haileybury, and a companion piece to McFarlane's own story about his upbringing in Haileybury, entitled "A Kid in Haileybury. " And it is intended to assist the citizens of Haileybury in finally recognizing one of its native sons as one of Canada's best known authors.
All proceeds from this book go to the Hardy Boys Committee.
Table of Contents below.
WMPub#1009 | 5.5" x 8.5"" | 69 pages, paperback | $10.50
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Arrival In Haileybury
Leslie McFarlane's Haileybury
Genesis of a Literary Career
Pursuing a Dream
Dave Fearless and the Hardy Boys
Return to Haileybury
Montreal 1928-1929
The Whitby Years
The McFarlane Legacy
Fact Sheet
Index
Other titles by Bruce Taylor:
