Jess Stearn

Jess Stearn
Born	(1914-04-26)April 26, 1914 Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Died	March 27, 2002(2002-03-27) (aged 87) Malibu, California, U.S.
Occupation	Author, journalist
Education	Syracuse University

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

1. "Jess Stearn, 87; Wrote Best Sellers on the Occult". New York Times. April 2, 2002.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. "Books in Brief: The Sixth Man". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 28, 1961. p. 10 TV Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. 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.
6. "Bay Area Best Sellers". San Francisco Examiner. March 5, 1967. p. 39 This World. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Sutphen, Dick. "Jess Stearn".
8. "Yoga, Youth and Reincarnation advertisement". Chicago Tribune. October 17, 1965. p. 9 Books Today. Retrieved December 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Kilgallen, Dorothy. "Joan Baez in Serious Trouble Over Tax Protest." New York Journal American September 15, 1965, pg. 25
10. Stearn, Jess (1976). A Matter of Immortality: Dramatic Evidence of Survival. Atheneum Publishers. pp. 299–300. ISBN 978-0-689-10721-4.
11. Francis, Arlene (1978). Arlene Francis: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster. pp. 198–199. ISBN 978-0-671-22808-8.
12. Francis, Arlene (1978). Arlene Francis: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster. pp. 170–174. ISBN 978-0-671-22808-8.
13. "The Astrologers' Memorial Web Page". Solstice Point. Archived from the original on April 27, 2005. Retrieved June 28, 2005.
14. Oliver, Myrna (April 1, 2002). "Obituary". Los Angeles Times. p. 9.
15. "The Grapevine". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved January 15, 2015.