Jack Schaefer was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Oberlin College in 1929 with a major in English. Schaefer's first success as a novelist came in 1949 with his memorable novel SHANE, set in Wyoming, which was made into a critically acclaimed movie and also a series. He continued writing successful westerns, selling his home in Connecticut and moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1955. In 1975 Schaefer received the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement award.
