William Alvin Bowen was an American attorney and author of children's literature, active during the early twentieth century. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1877, Bowen pursued a career in law, earning his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Maryland in 1898. He initially practiced law within his father's office before relocating to Los Angeles, California, in 1904. In Los Angeles, Bowen established a prominent legal career, which included serving as the attorney for the Olympic Committee during the 1932 Summer Olympics. He was also an active member of both the California and Southern California Historical Societies.\n\nAlongside his legal profession, Bowen found success as a writer of children's fantasy books during the 1920s. He made his literary debut with The Enchanted Forest, a fantasy novel published by Macmillan in late 1920. His most celebrated work, The Old Tobacco Shop, followed just a year later in 1921. This imaginative fantasy novel received significant critical acclaim, earning recognition as a runner-up for the inaugural Newbery Medal in 1922. Through these works, Bowen contributed to the landscape of American children's fantasy during a formative period for the genre.
