NathanielBenchleywastheauthorofseveraldifferenttypesofbooks,aswellasplays,moviesandmagazinearticles.
HeattendedPhillipsExeterAcademyandHarvardCollege,majoringinEnglish.Shortlyaftergraduation,hemarriedMarjorieBradford,andtheysettleddowninNewYorkCity,whereheworkedforseveralnewspapersandmagazines.In1941,beforetheattackonPearlHarbor,hejoinedtheU.S.NavyandwaslatertrainedtocommandsmallPTattackboats.HeservedintheNavyintheNorthandSouthAtlantictheatersandwasonhiswaytothePacificcampaignwhenthewarendedin1945.HereturnedtoNewYorkandjoinedhiswifeandfiveyear-oldson,Peter.Thenextyear,theyhadanotherson,NathanielRobert.
NathanielBenchleyworkedasafreelancewriter–andpainter-forthenext36years.Hewrotenovels,plays,shortstories,reviews,moviescriptsandaverypopularbiographyoftheactorHumphreyBogart.MuchofhismaterialwasdrawnfromhislifeinNewYorkandNantucket,MA,wherethefamilyhadasummerhome.HefoundthesmalltownlifeinNantucketwasrichincharactersandmaterialforadventures.HewroteabooktitledTheOff-Islanders,whichwaslatermadeintoasuccessfulmoviecalled"TheRussiansAreComing!TheRussiansAreComing!"ItwasthestoryofaRussiansubmarinerunagroundonasmallNewEnglandisland.Severalofhisotherbookswerealsomadeintomovies.
Hissidelineasapainteroflandscapesledtohisparticipationinmanygalleryshowings.
Mr.Benchleyusedhisfascinationwithhistorytocreateaseriesofbooksforbeginningandteenreaders.Hisparticularinterestwasintakingamomentinhistoryandexaminingitthroughtheeyesofayoungboy.HetoldstoriesabouttheVikingscomingtowhatwouldlaterbecalled"America;"NativeAmericanIndiansdealingwiththenewsettlersintheirland("SmallWolf");youngboysinColonialAmerica("SamtheMinuteman"and"GeorgetheDrummerBoy")andthemovementwest;andayoungboywhojoinstheNavyduringWorldWarII.
Healsowroteaseriesofbooksforverybeginningreaders,manyofwhichwereaboutanimalsandtheirspecialbondswithhumans("RedFoxandHisCanoe,""OscarOtter").
Hewasalwaysproudestofthelettershegotfromyoungreaderswhohadidentifiedwithoneofhischaractersandwantedtoaskquestionsraisedbytheirreading.Hepersonallyansweredeveryletterhegotfromhisreaders.
In1974,hisson,Peter,publishedhisfirstnovel,Jaws,basedonhisexperiencesfishingoffNantucketinhisyouth(andahealthyimagination).
Forthelastmanyyearsofhislife,NathanielBenchleylivedinNantucketwithhiswife.
NathanielBenchleylivedbythemotto:"Acraftsmanisonewhodoeswhatheisgiventodobetterthanothersfeelisnecessary."HediedinBoston,MA,in1981.