I recently read a short biography of Edward Stratemeyer, written by Bruce Watson. It is by no means an exhaustive study of the man, but rather more of an overview of his life and career. As Watson himself points out, no definitive or in depth biography has ever been written about the author. This seems to be due to the fact that, despite his success, Stratemeyer was a fairly private man, one who rarely granted interviews or spoke of personal matters. Though I can certainly sympathize- I wish more people these days felt some reticence about sharing the intimate details of their private lives- it's a shame that we don't know a bit more about Stratemeyer, because he's a pretty interesting person.
This is the fascinating contradiction about Edward Stratemeyer: he was a dreamer, but an extremely practical, businesslike one. He had a vivid imagination, able to come up with heroes and adventures for them. But he was also capable of turning these dreams into a successful and profitable business which employed not just other writers, but also editors, copy writers, secretaries, and many others.
So that's how a quiet shop clerk with a heart full of dreams and a head full of business sense built a literary empire and changed the world of childrens' fiction forever. When you look at the sheer volume of his (and his writers') work, it's easy to understand why it was said, "As oil had its Rockefeller, literature had its Stratemeyer."