Patrick Skene Catling Explained

Patrick Skene Catling
Birth Date:	14 February 1925
Birth Place:	London, England
Occupation:	Writer, journalist, book reviewer
Nationality:	British
Education:	Oberlin College
Spouse:	Susan Barnes Watson (1952 - 1960) Diane Wheeler Nicholson (1964–1984)
Children:	4

Patrick Skene Catling (born 14 February 1925)^[1] is a British journalist, author and book reviewer, best known for writing The Chocolate Touch in 1952.^[2] He has written 12 novels, 3 works of nonfiction and 9 books for children.

Background

Catling was born and schooled in London and was educated there and at Oberlin College in the United States. Catling served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a navigator and as a journalist at The Baltimore Sun^[3] and The Manchester Guardian.

He has traveled extensively. His present home is in the Republic of Ireland.^[2] He continues writing books, and writes reviews for The Spectator, The Telegraph, and other publications.^{[4] [5]}

Career

His first publication of The Chocolate Touch in 1952 received enthusiastic responses from several reviewers. Catling has since written dozens of books, and has developed the popular The Chocolate Touch character John Midas into the children's book series: John Midas in the Dreamtime (1986), John Midas and the Vampires (1994), John Midas and the Radio Touch (1994), and John Midas and the Rock Star (1995). Of John Midas in the Dreamtime, School Library Journal wrote, "...children who have been dragged around tourist sights will relate to John's boredom".^[6]

Selected works

• The Chocolate Touch^[7]
• Better Than Working^[8]
• John Midas in the Dreamtime^[9]
• The Exterminator^[10]
• Jazz, Jazz, Jazz^[11]
• The Experiment^[12]
• Best Summer Job^[13]
• Tourist Attraction^[14]
• Freddy Hill: The Story of a Modern Man of Pleasure^[15]
• Eskimo Surprise^[16]
• Chocolate Magic^[17]
• The Catalogue^[18]
• John Midas and the Vampires^[19]
• John Midas and the Radio Touch^[20]
• A Trunkful of Tricks^[21]
• John Midas and the Rock Star^[22]

Journalism

• 12 September 2009. Rich pickings. The Spectator. 311. 9446. 34, 36. 20 June 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111201185749/http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/5316821/rich-pickings.thtml. 1 December 2011. dmy-all. Review of Book: Gardam, Jane . The man in the wooden hat . Jane Gardam . 2009 . Chatto . 978-0-7011-7798-0 .

Notes and References

1. Book: Catling, Patrick Skene. Better Than Working. 2006. Liberties Press. 9781905483068. 11.
2. Web site: Patrick Skene Catling bio. 2009-01-21 . HarperCollins website.
3. Better Than Working by Patrick Skene Catling. New York: Macmillan. 1960. Also: The Baltimore Sun 1837-1987 by Harold A. Williams. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1987. p.335-336
4. Web site: list of Patrick Skene Catling reviews. 2009-01-21 . The Spectator.
5. Web site: Reasons to be paranoid. 2009-01-21 . The Daily Telegraph. 3 July 2008.
6. Web site: review of John Midas of The Chocolate Touch. 2009-01-21 . School Library Journal.
7. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Margot Apple . The Chocolate Touch . . Juvenile Fiction . 1979 . 9780688321871 . 128 .
8. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Better Than Working . . Journalists . 1960. 2004 . 9780436206245 . 212, 356 .
9. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . John Midas in the Dreamtime . . Juvenile Fiction . 1986 . 9780688321871 . 119 . registration . Patrick Skene Catling. .
10. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . The Exterminator . . 1969 . 9780370006550 . 252 .
11. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Jazz, Jazz, Jazz . . Fiction . 1981 . 9780312440732 . 320 . registration . Patrick Skene Catling. .
12. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . The Experiment . 1968 . 317 .
13. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Best Summer Job . . 1974 . 9780671217532 . 283 .
14. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Tourist Attraction . . 1963 . 9780722121740 . 185, 220, 175 .
15. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Freddy Hill: The Story of a Modern Man of Pleasure . . 1969 . 9780370014128 . 220 .
16. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Mark Foreman . Eskimo Surprise . . Juvenile Fiction . 1993 . 9780434962655 . 42 .
17. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Philip Hopman . Chocolate Magic . . Girls . 2000 . 9780749742119 . 96 .
18. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . The Catalogue . . 1972 . 9780586035894 . 203 .
19. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Tony Ross . John Midas and the Vampires . . Children's . 1994 . 9780416189179 . 111 .
20. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . John Midas and the Radio Touch . . 1994 . 9780749717681 . 109 .
21. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Mark Foreman . A Trunkful of Tricks . . 1994 . 9780434978236 . 48 .
22. Book: Catling , Patrick Skene . Tony Ross . John Midas and the Rock Star . . 1995 . 9780416191240 . 90 .