Mark Spragg (born 1952) is an American writer. He is the author of three novels and one book of nonfiction, mostly set in Wyoming, where he grew up.
Biography
editMark Spragg grew up on the Crossed Sabers Ranch, a Wyoming dude ranch eight miles east of Yellowstone National Park.[1] He graduated from the University of Wyoming in Laramie in 1974, with a major in English. He worked on an oil rig, shoed horses, and led pack trips to support his writing.[1]
In 1999 he published a memoir, Where Rivers Change Direction, about his unusual childhood, with no TV or radio but surrounded by vast expanses of rugged outdoor beauty. The book received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly[2] and Library Journal,[3] and won the 2000 Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award for Nonfiction[4]
Spragg later published the novels The Fruit of Stone, An Unfinished Life, and Bone Fire. He also co-wrote the screenplay to An Unfinished Life with his wife, Virginia Korus Spragg.[5]
He lives with his wife, Virginia, in Red Lodge, Montana.
Works
editNovels
editThe Fruit of Stone. Riverhead Hardcover, 2002. Highbridge Audiobook, 2003. Riverhead Trade, 2003. Vintage Contemporaries, 2011. ISBN 978-0307739384 Reviewed in the Economist [6] and Publishers Weekly ".[7] According to WorldCat, the book is held in 817 libraries.[8]
An Unfinished Life. Knopf, 2004. Vintage, 2005. ISBN 978-1400076147. Reviewed in the New York Times by Claire Dederer[9] and USA Today [10] According to WorldCat, the book is held in 1342 libraries.[11]
Bone Fire. Knopf, 2010. Vintage, 2011. ISBN 978-030747435-3 Reviewed in Outside Magazine [12] and Library Journal s "[13] According to WorldCat, the book is held in 829 libraries.[14]
Nonfiction
editWhere Rivers Change Direction. University of Utah Hardcover, 1999. Riverhead Paperback, 2000. ISBN 978-1-5732-2825-1 This books was reviewed in Publishers Weekly "[15] and Library Journal "[16] According to WorldCat, the book is held in 805 libraries [17]
References
edit- ^ a b "Mark Spragg: The Useful Life". WyoFile. Jun 14, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Where Rivers Change Direction by Mark Spragg, Author University of Utah Press $21.95 (267p) ISBN 978-0-87480-617-5". Publishersweekly.com. 1999-11-01. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- ^ "Where rivers change direction / | University of Toronto Libraries". search.library.utoronto.ca. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Mark Spragg | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "An Unfinished Life". Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Pony express". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Zaleski, Jeff. "The Fruit Of Stone (Book)." Publishers Weekly 249.24 (2002): 38. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
- ^ Spragg, Mark (May 20, 2002). The fruit of stone. Riverhead Books. OCLC 48777347. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ Dederer, Claire (2004-11-07). "Fiction: The War at Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Pray, Jackie (October 13, 2004). "'An Unfinished Life' is simply charming". USA Today. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- ^ Spragg, Mark (May 20, 2004). An unfinished life. Knopf. OCLC 54035113. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ "Books: Bone Fire". Outside Online. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ^ Bankhead, Henry. "Bone Fire." Library Journal 134.18 (2009): 59. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
- ^ Spragg, Mark (May 20, 2010). Bone fire. Alfred A. Knopf. OCLC 401140216. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ Zaleski, Jeff, and Paul Gediman. "Forecasts: Nonfiction." Publishers Weekly 246.37 (1999): 70. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
- ^ Samson, Sue. "Book Reviews: Arts & Humanities." Library Journal 124.17 (1999): 72. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
- ^ Spragg, Mark (May 20, 1999). Where rivers change direction. University of Utah Press. OCLC 41580492. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Open WorldCat.
- Susan Gray Gose, “Mark Spragg: The Useful Life,” Mark Spragg: The Useful Life. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- “Mark Spragg - 1974” University of Wyoming Notable Alumni, [1]. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- “Mark Spragg” Penguin Random House authors. Mark Spragg | Penguin Random House. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
- “An Unfinished Life,” An Unfinished Life. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
External links
edit- Official website: Mark Spragg