Clik here to view.
Otis Adelbert Kline (1891-1946)-The First Serial
Otis Adelbert Kline (1891-1946) was a man of a dozen talents, a hundred friends, and a million words. He was an old-fashioned wordsmith who cranked out story after story over the years. As a manuscript...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Julian Kilman (1878-1954)-The First Canadian Author
Pseudonym of Leroy Noble KilmanAttorney, Government Worker, Author, Lecturer/Public Speaker, Lepidopterist, AnglerBorn March 26, 1878, Drummondville, Ontario, CanadaDied April 3, 1954, at home,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Jakes (1932-2023)
Author, Advertising CopywriterBorn March 31, 1932, Chicago, IllinoisDied March 11, 2023, Sarasota, FloridaJohn Jakes has died. Known for his vastly popular historical novels, the late Mr. Jakes got his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Orville R. Emerson (1894-1945)-A Second War Story
Orville R. Emerson wrote the second war story to appear in Weird Tales. The first was "The Dead Man's Tale" by Willard E. Hawkins. Whereas Hawkins' tale begins on the battlefield in Europe, that's only...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Joel Townsley Rogers (1896-1984)-A Second Story of the South
Joel Townsley Rogers was born on November 22, 1896, in Sedalia, Missouri, and attended Harvard University. His studies were cut short by his entry into the U.S. Naval Reserve in June 1917. He served...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Bryan Irvine (1885-1945)-A Prison Ghost Story
Soldier, Newspaper Editor and Publisher, Author, Movie Scenario Reader, Public Speaker, Prison Guard, Nightwatchman/Guard/Detective, PhysiotherapistBorn February 10, 1885, Miles City, MontanaDied...
View ArticleClik here to view.
G.A. Wells (?-?)-The First Story of the Far North
Author, TravelerBorn ?, OhioDied ?As far as I know, nobody has identified the author G.A. Wells, although The FictionMags Index lets us know that he or she was from Ohio and was also a traveler. Wells...
View ArticleClik here to view.
David R. Solomon (1893-1951)-Another Story of the South
Author, Journalist, Military Officer, Attorney, American Legion LeaderBorn July 9, 1893, Meridian, MississippiDied November 15, 1951, Birmingham, AlabamaDavid Rosenbaum Solomon was born on July 9,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hamilton Craigie (1880-1956)-The First Detective Story
Henry Hamilton Edmund CraigieAuthor, Editor, Poet, Teacher, Amateur HistorianBorn July 22, 1880, Round Hill, Greenwich, ConnecticutDied August 9, 1956, Brooksville, FloridaHenry Hamilton Edmund...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Anniversary No. 12
I began writing this blog twelve years ago today, on April 22, 2011. My first subject was C.L. Moore, one of my favorite authors of fantasy and weird fiction and someone who grew up where I grew up, in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Merlin Moore Taylor (1886-1939)-Another Prison Story
Author, Journalist, Editor, Traveler, ExplorerBorn October 5, 1886, Batesville, ArkansasDied February 18, 1939, Chicago, IllinoisMerlin Moore Taylor was born on October 5, 1886, in Batesville,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Farnsworth Wright (1888-1940)-A Short Short Story
Newspaper Reporter, Soldier, Translator, Author, Editor, Music CriticBorn July 29, 1888, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaDied June 12, 1940, Jackson Heights, New YorkI have stayed away from writing a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Howard Ellis Davis (1883-1951)-A Third Story of the Southern Swamp
Howard Ellis Davis (1883-1951) was a military officer and an engineer who worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Although he was born in Florida, Davis lived and worked in Georgia and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Herbert J. Mangham (1896-1967)-The Basket
Herbert J. Mangham, author of "The Basket," was actually Herbert Joseph Maughiman or Joseph Herbert Maughiman. He was born on April 27, 1896, in Des Moines, Iowa, and lived in Salina, Kansas, as a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Meredith Davis (1887-1930)-Another Case of Guilty Conscience
Newspaper Reporter, Columnist, Editor, Author, Pulp Magazine Editor, Public SpeakerBorn May 29, 1887, Pottsville, PennsylvaniaDied June 25, 1930, Dore Sanitarium, Monrovia, CaliforniaMeredith Davis,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Walter Scott Story (1879-1955)-The First Sequel
Pulp Fiction Author, Children's Book Author, Editor, Insurance WorkerBorn June 23, 1879, Springfield, MassachusettsDied June 24, 1955, Chatham, New JerseyAt first I thought "Walter Scott Story" was a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
W.H. Holmes (?-?)-An Unusual Ghost Story
It seems that for decades a lot of men and even many women used only their initials in everything they did. That habit confounds the people who in later years might look for them, especially when they...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nonfiction Fillers in the First Issue
There are six nonfiction fillers in the first issue of Weird Tales. All were written anonymously. They are:"Queer Tribes of Savages Found in Africa" (p. 130)"African Brides Must Be Plump" (p. 130)"Ten...
View ArticleClik here to view.
R.T.M. Scott (1882-1966)-The First Tale of the Prehistoric Past
Reginald Thomas Maitland Scott, Sr.Aka Maj. R.T.M. ScottAuthor, Poet, Military Officer, LecturerBorn August 14, 1882, Woodstock, Ontario, CanadaDied February 5, 1966, New York, New YorkReginald Thomas...
View Article