About

Tom Foran Clark is the author of the novel "Jacob's Papers", a collection of short

stories, “The House of Great Spirit”, “Freewheeling” (an adventure fiction series in

four parts), and “The Significance of Being Frank”, a biography of the 19th century

Concord, Massachusetts radical abolitionist and relentless troublemaker Franklin

Benjamin Sanborn.

Jacob’s Papers

“Clark's novel is a compelling read from its opening paragraph, which will easily hook

readers. The voice of the narrator is strong and draws readers into the story, giving

them cause to care about the well-developed characters. The author delivers skillfully

rendered descriptions and vivid details, while the book's pacing keeps readers

engaged with the plight of the protagonist.” – BookLife / Publishers Weekly

The Significance of Being Frank

“The Significance of Being Frank is a rare biographical gem. Sanborn is little known to our generation but we have author Clark to thank for changing that. This elegant and evidently well-researched portrait of Sanborn gives us insight into the abolitionist, publisher, and educator who was at Concord with Thoreau and Emerson and was confidential advisor to John Brown. Highly recommended.” – Kenneth Lanxner, Editor of Lives: The Biography Resource

“I have just finished reading ‘The Significance of Being Frank.’ It is related, annotated, and anatomized with a skill that compels not only a reader’s constant admiration but, what is perhaps more remarkable, his constant attention. The reader is swept along in a torrent of enthusiasm. Indeed, the whole book is a model of what a biography should be – clear in its reasoning, judicious and calm, orderly in its marshaling of facts, rightly disdainful of purely imaginative reconstruction, and always brilliantly alive in both narrative and discussion. Sanborn deserves his memoir. This is a singularly remarkable accomplishment.” – A. J. Anderson, Editor of Lin Yutang: The Best of an Old Friend

“Not only is this undeservedly marginalized figure brought to life in this compelling work, but the intimate details of Clark’s narrative brings Sanborn’s Transcendentalist world to life as well. This remarkable biography produces for the reader a direct sense of the social nerve and intellectual daring of 19th Century New England. Clark has done an outstanding job in the art of biography. Easy to navigate, well researched, a must read for anyone seriously interested in U.S. History and American Transcendental Philosophy and Literature.” – Danne Polk, The Philosophy Research Base, ErraticImpact.com