[9] After serving during the war, Meltzer became a writer for the CBS radio broadcasting network and then took an executive position with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
[7] While traveling the country for Pfizer, Meltzer did research at historical societies, local archives and museums and collected nearly 1,000 illustrations to begin a career writing history books with a focus on social justice.
[citation needed] Having dropped out of university, he was a self-taught historian, and conducted much of his research in person, even developing his own notation system.
[6][11] Many of his personal writings, manuscripts, and papers, including letters, are now housed in the University of Oregon Special Collections, and are available to the public.
Tough Times details the life of a young man coming of age during the Great Depression and draws on some of Meltzer's personal experiences growing up during the period.
[3] Some of Meltzer's other works focus on topics such as piracy, ancient Egypt, and early American wars with the Seminole people.
[13] Meltzer co-authored with Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes the book A Pictorial History of the Negro in America, which was published in 1956.
[4] The committee noted that he "continues to be a model for informational writing today" and cited four works in particular: Brother Can You Spare a Dime?