Lew Dietz

Who was Lew Dietz?

Lew Dietz was an American writer, much of whose work centered on his native Maine. In a long career he produced 20 books and hundreds of magazine articles for Down East magazine, True, Yankee, Redbook, Coast Fisherman and Outdoors Maine among others.

Dietz was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from New York University, but he lived much of his life in and near Rockport, Maine. In his youth, he was a foreign correspondent in Paris and a copywriter in New York.

Perhaps his best known work was A Seal Called Andre, based on the true story of an orphaned baby seal that learned to perform tricks and became a popular tourist attraction in Rockport. The 1975 book remains in print; the book was the source for the film Andre.

He was also well known for the Jeff White books, young adult novels on outdoor themes:

Jeff White, Young Guide

Jeff White, Young Lumberjack

Jeff White, Young Trapper

Jeff White, Young Woodsman

Other books included The Story of Boothbay, Camden Hills.