Jakes was born on March 31, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois. Early in the 1950s, while still a college student, he made his first story sales to pulp publications.
Jakes earned a degree in creative writing from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, in 1953.
At Ohio State University, he later received an M.A. in American literature. Harry and Rachel, who had been married for 13 months, made an appearance on the game programme Beat the Clock on August 23, 1952.
Where will John Jakes be buried? Burial site and Find a Grave details
Details of the burial site as well as his grave details have not been revealed yet. This will be updated on the website in due time.
Two of Jakes’ 1949–1950 letters were published in the Sam Merwin–edited anthology Thrilling Wonder Tales, and two of his pieces appeared in pulp magazines late in 1950 edited by Howard Browne: “Your Number Is Up!” and The Dreaming Trees (Fantastic Adventures, November) (Amazing Stories, December). In 1950, Jakes sold his first short tale of 1500 words.
28 further science fiction stories from the years 1951 to 1953 are included in the ISFDB.
In the twenty years that followed his graduation from college, Jakes produced scores of short stories as well as numerous books, many of which were works of fantasy, science fiction, western, and other historical fiction.
