First, we scoured coast to coast to find the most famous book set in every state. Now we're hitting the books to discover the most famous author from every state.
Not all the choices were clear. To qualify for this list, the esteemed wordsmiths had to be born in their respective states, but not necessarily live out their years there.
We considered authors' fame in terms of ubiquity, literal acclaim, and financial success — and awarded bonus points if the author showed state pride by setting their works there.
Keep scrolling to read more about the most famous author from your state.
Melissa Stanger, Melia Robinson, and Melina Glusac contributed to prior versions of this article.