Knight, Eric (1897-1943), was an English-born author. He wrote fiction for adults but became best known for his only children’s book, the novel Lassie Come-Home (1940). The story tells about a collie named Lassie in Yorkshire, England. The dog’s owners are forced to sell her because they need money. Her new owner takes Lassie to Scotland. However, Lassie escapes and makes the difficult return journey to her original masters in England. The character of Lassie has appeared in several movies and a long-running television series.
Eric Mowbray Knight was born on April 10, 1897, in Menston, West Yorkshire, near Bradford. He moved to the United States in 1912. Much of his fiction is set in Yorkshire, including the novel The Flying Yorkshireman (1936) and the short-story collection Sam Small Flies Again (1942). Knight also wrote This Above All (1941), a novel about the early years of World War II (1939-1945). Knight was killed on Jan. 15, 1943, in an airplane crash during the war.
