H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Horace Jackson Brown Jr., born March 14, 1940, in Nashville, Tennessee, was an American author best known for Life's Little Instruction Book. The book, with 511 simple reminders about everyday life, was a major bestseller, staying on the New York Times Best Seller list for more than two years and reaching number one in both paperback and hardback at the same time. A Volume 2 followed in 1993, also a NYT bestseller.
Brown worked as a creative director at a Nashville advertising agency before writing full-time. He graduated from Emory University in 1962 and belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity; he was honored as a Significant Sig in 1991. His first books were A Father's Book of Wisdom and P.S. I Love You, a collection of sayings from his father and mother. The latter ends with the line "Explore. Dream. Discover," a quote often mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain.
Life's Little Instruction Book began as a going-away gift for his son, Adam. The book has been translated into 35 languages and spawned calendars, posters, greeting cards, and other items. Brown co-authored Live and Learn and Pass It On with his ex-wife, Rosemary C. Brown. He died on November 30, 2021, in Nashville at age 81.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:02 (CET).