The Adventures of Superman
date: label: Date made
content: 1942
name: label: publisher
content: Random House, Inc.
label: author
content: Lowther, George
label: designer
content: Burnley, Jack
label: maker
content: Random House, Inc.
label: maker
content: Lowther, George
notes: label: Description
content: The 1942 novel <i>The Adventures of Superman</i> was written by George Lowther and illustrated by Superman's co-creator Joe Shuster. Lowther a scriptwriter for <i>The Adventures of Superman</i> radio program, used the book to help develop the iconic superheroes backstory, introducing narratives that remain associated with the character.
label: Description
content: George Lowther (1913-1975) was a writer, director and producer active in the early days of radio and television. At the age of 13 Lowther began as a page at NBC radio. In the 1930s he became a prolific script writer for programs such as "Dick Tracy" and "The Adventures of Tom Mix," later becoming a producer for programs featuring Guy Lombardo and Morton Downey. In 1945 he joined the Dumont Television network as an executive producer, and continued to be active in media for the remainder of his life.
label: Description
content: The character of Superman first flew into action in 1938. The costumed superhero was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland Ohio, who used, among other things, classical mythology and the era's popular science fiction and adventure writing for inspiration.
label: Description
content: With his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman became an instant sensation with audiences, inspired by the "Man of Tomorrow's" virtue and heroics at time when the Nation was slowly emerging from the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression and moving closer to World War.
label: Description
content: Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a child, where our world's yellow sun granted him extraordinary powers such as flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, as well as other extraordinary abilities including heat and X-Ray vision. As an adult living in the city of Metropolis, the alien, born Kal-El, protects his identity by assuming the persona of Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered" journalist.
label: Description
content: Fighting for "Truth and Justice," Superman birthed a cultural fascination with superheroes, and has become one of the most recognizable and influential fictional characters in history. In addition to comic books, the character has been explored in all forms of media, including radio, television, and film, and has been used to promote a variety of successful consumer products, educational initiatives and public service campaigns.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
topic: label: Subject
content: Literature
label: Subject
content: Superman
label: Subject
content: Comics
label: Subject
content: Children
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: DC Comics, Incorporated
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0213.174
label: accession number
content: 1987.0213
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0213.174
objectType: label: Object Name
content: book
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 9 1/4 in x 6 in x 1 1/4 in; 23.495 cm x 15.24 cm x 3.175 cm