He served as the superintendent of Indiana's school system for 18 years and then went on to become a widely published textbook editor and children's author in the subjects of legends, mythology, biography, and literature, among others.

He wrote over thirty books about famous people in history and retold classical stories.

It is estimated that 26 million copies of his works sold worldwide, including in China and Indonesia.

A self-educated man, he became a school superintendent before working as an editor for Harper's and later for the American Book Company.

[3] James Baldwin died at his home in South Orange, New Jersey on September 1, 1925.