"The three objectives of this study are to present a biographical sketch of William Thomas Person, to comment on the techniques used in his short stories, particularly those which have been reprinted in collections for young people, to summarize his seven novels published to date, and to report critical reactions to them. Very little biographical data concerning Tom Person is available in print. To supplement the information in Who's Who Monthly Supplement, in Mrs. Person's scrapbook, and on book jackets, this writer contacted the Person family, a profitable experience both from the standpoint of information obtained and from the personal satisfaction of knowing fine people. Friends of the Persons also were most helpful in furnishing further details about the family. Letters from a plantation owner, a lawyer, a newspaper columnist, an educator, and other interesting friends included pertinent biographical and critical data. The biographical section treats Person's early years, his literary apprenticeship as a writer of short stories, his family, his friends, and his work"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1960." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Sarah Rebecca Reed, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-58).