Alvin Schwartz (children's author)

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For the essayist and poet of the same name, see Alvin Schwartz (author)

Alvin Schwartz (born April 25, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York; died March 14, 1992) was the author of books dedicated to and dealing with topics such as folklore and wordplay, many of which were intended for young readers. He is often confused with another Alvin Schwartz, who wrote Superman and Batman daily comics strips and a novel titled 'The Blowtop'.

Schwartz graduated from Colby College and received a graduate degree from Northwestern University. He had enlisted in the United States Navy in his youth and had been both a writer for and the editor of a newspaper prior to authoring his published books. During his professional writing career his work had been published by a variety of firms, including Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Bantam Books, and perhaps most famously, Harper Collins.

He is known primarily for the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series, which featured gruesome, nightmarish illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The series is America's most frequently challenged book (or book series) for library inclusion of 1990-2000 (Source: American Library Association).

Some of his other books, such as When I Grew Up Long Ago, were aimed at an older audience, and presented glimpses of life in the United States during the late 1700s and the early 1800s.

Schwartz's first paperback, Twister of Twists, a Tangler of Tongues, was published in 1972, and was intended for children under 10 years of age. It was released as a hardcover that same year.

At the time of his death, Schwartz was survived by his wife and four children.