Allan W. Eckert
Allan W. Eckert. Photograph: source unknown.
Allan Wesley Eckert was an American author, historian and naturalist. He was born on 30 January 1931 in Buffalo, New York, the son of Edward and Ruth Eckert, and spent much of his childhood in and around Chicago, Illinois.
Eckert wrote the 1997 book A World of Opals, one of the most comprehensive books on worldwide opal science, history and culture.
From an early age Eckert showed a strong interest in wildlife and the natural world. As a boy he spent much of his time exploring vacant lots and open land around the city, observing animals and insects. He also developed an interest in writing and decided, while still at school, to pursue it as a profession.
After graduating from high school in 1948 he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving for four years. During his service he continued to write in his spare time. After leaving the Air Force he attended both the University of Dayton and The Ohio State University, though he did not complete a degree.
Before establishing himself as a writer, Eckert worked in a wide range of occupations, holding more than forty different jobs while attempting to publish his work.
His first book, The Great Auk, was published in 1963 and examined the extinction of the flightless bird of the North Atlantic. Over the following decades Eckert became prolific, producing more than forty books (37 at the time of the publication of A World of Opals) and numerous articles, essays and short stories. His historical writings included The Winning of America, a series which explored the settlement of the American frontier and figures such as Simon Kenton, Daniel Boone and the Shawnee leader Tecumseh. One of the best known works in the series, The Frontiersmen (1967), received the Ohioana Book Award. Across his career, Eckert was nominated for seven Pulitzer Prizes.
Eckert also wrote about wildlife and natural history. His works included The Silent Sky (1965), about the extinction of the passenger pigeon, and a number of novels and children’s books centred on animals and the natural environment. His book Incident at Hawk’s Hill (1971) received a Newbery Honor in children’s literature.
Beyond his books, Eckert contributed extensively to television and popular science writing. He wrote more than two hundred scripts for the long-running television series Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, work which received an Emmy Award for outstanding program achievement.
Eckert had a strong interest in gemstones, particularly opal. He spent periods mining opal in the United States at Virgin Valley, Nevada, and in Australia at several fields including at the New Corcoran at Lightning Ridge, White Cliffs and Yowah in Queensland. He became an experienced amateur lapidary, having cut and polished several thousand opals as well as faceting other stones. He was also a member of the American Society of Gemcutters.
This interest led to the publication of The World of Opals, a detailed study of the science, history and cultural traditions associated with opal. The work examined the geological formation of opal, methods of mining and cutting, and the long cultural history of the stone. The local history in The World of Opals is largely built upon the work of previous authors, including Frank Leechman (The Opal Book) and Gan Bruce (Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World), with further original research.
Eckert received several honours during his career, including an honorary doctorate from Bowling Green State University in 1985. In a 1999 poll conducted by the Ohioana Library Association he was named as one of Ohio’s favourite writers, while The Frontiersmen was voted the state’s favourite book.
Allan W. Eckert passed away at Corona, California, on 7 July 2011, aged eighty.
Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: A World of Opals, Allan W. Eckert, 1997; ‘Allan Eckert’, Cleveland Public Library, cpl.org (accessed 4 March 2026); ‘Allan Eckert’, Ohio Reading Road Trip, orrt.org (accessed 4 March 2026).