John Fox, Jr.

John Fox, Jr.. . A tale of fortunes made and lost, feuds, passion, and romance in the Cumberland Mountains, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, stayed on the best-seller list for two years after its publication in 1908. Its author, John Fox, Jr., was already a successful author. The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, the story of mountaineer Chad Buforo published in 1903, was perhaps the first novel in the United States to sell a million copies., Born near Paris, Kentucky, Fox became captivated by the Cumberland Mountains during a brief visit in 1882. Six years later, Fox settled in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Fascinated by mountain life, he spent considerable time in the east Kentucky counties of Letcher, Harlan, Leslie and Perry. His first short story, “A Mountain Europa”, which appeared in Century magazine in 1892, was an instant success., John Fox, Jr. was a natural storyteller. His knowledge of mountain people, folk life and locales is evident in his many books, short stories and essays, as is his affection for and empathy with his subjects. A number of his characters appear to be based, at least in part, on individuals he knew. One, Jack Hale, the hero of The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, draws on Fox's own experiences., “The comfort of the childish self-pity that came with every thought of himself, wandering, a lost spirit along the mountain-tops was gone like a dream and ready in his heart was the strong new purpose to strike into the world for himself.” , The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, 1903, [Caption] John Fox, Jr. 1862-1919