Abraham Merritt

Abraham Merritt (January 20, 1884-August 21, 1943) was an American editor and author of works of fantastic fiction.

Born in New Jersey, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1894. Originally trained in law, he turned to journalism, first as a correspondent, and later as editor. He was assistant editor of The American Weekly from 1912 to 1937, then editor until his death by heart attack in 1943. His fiction was only a side line to his journalism career, which might explain his relatively low output.

Merritt married twice, once in the 1910s to Eleanore Ratcliffe, with whom he raised an adopted daughter, and again in the 1930s to Eleanor H. Johnson.

In 1917, he published his first fantasy, Through the Dragon Glass, in Argosy All Stories Weekly. This was followed by many more tales, including: People of the Pit (1918), The Moon Pool (1919)), The Metal Monster (1920), The Face in the Abyss (1923), The Ship of Ishtar (1924), 7 Footprints to Satan (1927), Dwellers in the Mirage (1932), The Woman of the Wood (1926), Burn, Witch, Burn! (1932), Creep, Shadow, Creep! (1934), and The Drone Man (1934). The Fox Woman and Other Stories (1949) collected his short stories, some completed by his fan, the fantasy artist Hannes Bok. The book The Black Wheel was published in 1948, after Merritt's death; it was written using previously unpublished material by Bok as well.

References

• E-text of The Metal Monster by A. Merritt (Review)
• E-text of The Moon Pool by A. Merritt (Review)
• Merritt's novels at Locus Magazine's Index to Science Fiction.
• Stories by and about A. Merritt at Locus Magazine's Index to Science Fiction.
• A. Merritt at the Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame