Walter Rollin Brooks (January 9, 1886 – August 17, 1958) was an American writer, known for hischildren's books aboutFreddy the Pig and the other anthropomorphic animal inhabitants of the Bean Farm inupstate New York, and also for his short stories aboutMister Ed the talking horse, made into a television series after his death.

Walter R. Brooks
Born	(1886-01-09)January 9, 1886 Rome, New York, US
Died	August 17, 1958(1958-08-17) (aged 72) Roxbury, New York
Occupation	Writer
Genre	Short stories,children's novels
Notable works	Mister Ed book series Freddy the Pig book series

Brooks was born inRome, New York. He attended college at theUniversity of Rochester and subsequently studied homeopathic medicine in New York City. He dropped out after two years, however, and returned to Rochester where he married Anne Shepard in 1909. He found employment with an advertising agency inUtica, and then "retired" in 1911, evidently because he came into a considerable inheritance. His retirement was not permanent; in 1917, he went to work for theAmerican Red Cross and he later did editorial work for several magazines, including "a nonfiction stint withThe New Yorker 1932–1933".^[1] In 1940, he turned to writing for his full-time occupation. He married Dorothy Collins following the death of Anne in 1952.

The first works that Brooks published were poems and short stories. Among these were a series of short stories featuring "a talking horse and his drunken owner" which was the basis for the 1960s television comedy seriesMister Ed.^[1] His most enduring works, however, are the 26 books that he wrote aboutFreddy the Pig and his friends.Anthony Boucher andJ. Francis McComas praisedFreddy and the Spaceship because it "offers wit, sound structural plotting, genuine character-humor, and admirable English prose".^[2]

Brooks died of a heart attack at his home inRoxbury, New York at age 72.^[3]

In 2009, Overlook Press publishedTalking Animals and Others: The Life and Work of Walter R. Brooks, Creator of Freddy the Pig by Michael CartISBN 1-59020-170-1.

Nine of these stories were published in a collection,The Original Mr. Ed, in 1963. "Ed Signs the Pledge" was the storyArthur Lubin used to pitch theMister Ed comedy series to TV executives.^[4]

• "The Talking Horse",Liberty, September 18, 1937
• "Horse Sense",Esquire, October 1938
• "Mr. Pope’s Thoroughbred",Liberty, June 10, 1939
• "Ed Has His Mind Improved",Liberty, October 14, 1939
• "Ed Shoots It Out",Liberty, June 1, 1940
• "The Midnight Ride of Mr. Pope",Liberty, August 3, 1940
• "Just a Song at Twilight",Liberty, September 21, 1940
• "Ed Holds a Séance",Liberty, March 1, 1941
• "Ed Likes to Be Beside the Seaside",Liberty, July 5, 1941
• "Ed Takes the Cockeyed Initiative",Liberty, September 27, 1941
• Ed Gets a Mother Complex, Liberty, November 8, 1941
• "Mr. Pope Rides Again",The Saturday Evening Post, July 4, 1942
• "Bird in the Bush",The Saturday Evening Post, September 5, 1942
• "Dr. Atwood and Mr. Ed",The Saturday Evening Post, January 16, 1943
• "Do Ye Ken Wilbur Pope?",The Saturday Evening Post, June 5, 1943
• "Ed Quenches an Old Flame",Argosy, May 1944
• "Ed Signs the Pledge",Argosy, June 1944
• "Ed Makes Like a Horse",Argosy, August 1944
• "Well, Really, Mr. Pope!",Argosy, October 1944
• "Ed the Were Horse" (a.k.a. "Monster in Horse’s Clothing"),Argosy, February 1945
• "Ed Goes Psychic" (a.k.a. "Such a Spiritous Horse!"),Argosy, April 1945
• "Ed Divides and Conquers",Argosy, July 1945
• "With Teeth and Tail",Argosy, September 1945
• "His Royal Harness", only inThe Original Mr. Ed
• "Medium Rare", only inThe Original Mr. Ed

• Works by Walter Rollin Brooks atFaded Page (Canada)
• Works by Walter R. Brooks atLibriVox (public domain audiobooks) 
• InternationalFriends of Freddy
• Harley Hahn's Freddy the Pig information page
• Jill Morgan's Freddy the Pig pages
• Walter R. Brooks at theInternet Speculative Fiction Database