American journalist and author (1914-2002)
Jess Stearn (April 26, 1914 – March 27, 2002) was an American journalist and author of more than thirty books, nine of which were bestsellers.
Early life
Stearn was born in
Syracuse, New York , to David Stearn, a
rabbi . He graduated from
Syracuse University .
Career
Stearn became a journalist for the
New York Daily News and later an associate editor for
Newsweek .
[1] He credited his journalistic training with helping him become a successful author.
[2]
Stearn specialized in books of
sensationalist speculative non-fiction. His early work focused on outsiders and
marginalized individuals such as prostitutes,
drug addicts , and gay men (The Sixth Man ).
[3]
[4] His later work focused on
spirituality ,
the occult , and
psychic phenomena . His most popular works were two biographies on the American psychic
Edgar Cayce ;
[5]
[6] Stearn was a conference speaker for the
Association for Research and Enlightenment and a proponent of Cayce's theories.
[7]
Stearn might have been one of the forerunners of bringing Eastern thought into the Western world through his best-selling 1965 book, Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation .
[8]
Personal life
Stearn married twice and had two children, Martha and Fred. He had a longtime close friendship with actress and radio/television personality
Arlene Francis . That may have had a connection to the first mention of his name in a nationally syndicated newspaper column. A reference to his latest book appeared in the Voice of Broadway column written by Francis' television colleague
Dorothy Kilgallen . Either Kilgallen or her editor at the
New York Journal American placed a plug for Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation in that paper's September 15, 1965, edition immediately after an item about an upcoming
Johnnie Ray concert in Las Vegas.
[9] Ten years later, Francis discussed one of her recurring
dreams with Stearn for a book he was writing that included a section on dreams.
[10]
[11] Stearn and Francis shared interests in yoga and
weightlifting .
[12]
Death
Stearn died of
congestive heart failure on March 27, 2002, in his
Malibu, California , home. He chose not to have a funeral because of his belief in
reincarnation .
[13]
[14]
Bibliography
— (1954). Sisters of the Night: The Startling Story of Prostitution in New York Today .
— (1959). The Wasted Years: Drug & Delinquent Stories .
— (1961). The Sixth Man: A Startling Investigation of the Spread of Homosexuality in America .
— (1963). The Door to the Future: Can the Future be Foreseen? .
— (1964). The Grapevine: A Report on the Secret World of the Lesbian .
[15]
— (1965). Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation .
— (1967). Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet .
— (1968). The Search for the Girl with the Blue Eyes: A Venture Into Reincarnation .
— (1969). Adventures into the Psychic .
— (1969). The Second Life of Susan Ganther: Startling Story of Reincarnation .
— (1972). The Seekers: Drugs and the New Generation .
— (1972). A Time for Astrology .
— (1972). The Miracle Workers; America's Psychic Consultants .
— (1973). Dr Thompson's New Way for You to Cure Your Aching Back .
— (1973). The Search for a Soul: Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives .
— (1975). A Prophet in his Own Country: The Story of the Young Edgar Cayce .
—;
Caldwell, Taylor (1975). Romance of Atlantis .
— (1976). A Matter of Immortality: Dramatic Evidence of Survival .
— (1976). The Power of Alpha-Thinking: Miracle of the Mind .
—;
Caldwell, Taylor (1977). I, Judas .
— (1979). The Reporter .
—;
Geller, Larry (1980). The Truth About Elvis .
— (1981). In Search of Taylor Caldwell .
— (1984). Soulmates: Perfect Partners Past, Present, and Beyond .
— (1989). Intimates Through Time: Edgar Cayce's Mysteries Of Reincarnation .
— (1997). Meetings: A Reporter's Notebook: Provocative Interviews that Capture the Spirit of Our Times .
—; McGarey, Gladys (1998). The Physician Within You: Discovering the Power of Inner Healing .
— (1998). Edgar Cayce on the Millennium .
References
^
"Jess Stearn, 87; Wrote Best Sellers on the Occult" .
New York Times . April 2, 2002.
^ Ufford, Joy (September 12, 1990).
"Psychic encounter changed writer's path" . The Jackson Hole Guide (Jackson, Wyoming) . p. 3 Valley. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Menn, Thorpe (March 17, 1961).
"Books of the Day: About One Man in Six, Perhaps" . The Kansas City Star . p. 12D. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Books in Brief: The Sixth Man" . The Honolulu Advertiser . May 28, 1961. p. 10 TV Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Keown, Don (January 21, 1967).
"A Non-Skeptical Look at Man Labeled 'Our Greatest Mystic' " . Daily Independent Journal (San Rafael, California) . p. M15. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^
"Bay Area Best Sellers" . San Francisco Examiner . March 5, 1967. p. 39 This World. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Sutphen, Dick.
"Jess Stearn" .
^
"Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation advertisement" . Chicago Tribune . October 17, 1965. p. 9 Books Today. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Kilgallen, Dorothy. "Joan Baez in Serious Trouble Over Tax Protest."
New York Journal American September 15, 1965, pg. 25
^ Stearn, Jess (1976).
A Matter of Immortality: Dramatic Evidence of Survival . Atheneum Publishers. pp.
299–300 .
ISBN
978-0-689-10721-4 .
^ Francis, Arlene (1978). Arlene Francis: A Memoir . Simon & Schuster. pp. 198–199.
ISBN
978-0-671-22808-8 .
^ Francis, Arlene (1978). Arlene Francis: A Memoir . Simon & Schuster. pp. 170–174.
ISBN
978-0-671-22808-8 .
^
"The Astrologers' Memorial Web Page" . Solstice Point. Archived from
the original on April 27, 2005. Retrieved June 28, 2005 .
^ Oliver, Myrna (April 1, 2002). "Obituary".
Los Angeles Times . p. 9.
^
"The Grapevine" . Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved January 15, 2015 .