Introduction
Kyle Onstott (January 12, 1887 in Du Quoin, Illinois – June 1, 1966) was an American novelist, known for his best-selling novel Mandingo (1957), which deals with slavery on an Alabama plantation with the fictional name of Falconhurst in the 1830s. The book was made into a 1961 play and film of the same name, which was released in 1975.
Onstott was originally a dog breeder and judge in regional dog shows, living in California with his widowed mother in the early 1900s. Having collaborated with his adopted son on a book about dog breeding, he decided to write a book that would make him rich. "Utilizing his son's anthropology research on West Africa, he handwrote Mandingo and his son served as editor. Denlinger's, a small Virginia publisher, released it and it became a national sensation." A sequel and a series of other novels followed, mostly written with Lance Horner.
Works
- The New Art of Breeding Better Dogs (with Philip Onstott)
- Mandingo
- The Black Sun
- Child of the Sun
- Falconhurst Fancy
- Flight to Falconhurst
- Master of Falconhurst
- The Tattooed Rood
- Drum
- Strange Harvest (with Ashley Carter)