A. Merritt

Abraham Grace Merritt (1884–1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was born in Beverly, New Jersey.At 18, Merritt became a cub reporter at The Philadelphia Enquirer. In 1903, he was an inadvertent witness to a major political scandal, and he was hidden away in Mexico for a year. All his expenses paid, he spent his time exploring Mayan ruins, as well as “wenching and learning how to drink.”On his return, he resumed his job at The Philadelphia Enquirer. In 1912 he was offered a job in New York City, at The American Weekly, the largest circulation Sunday supplement of the time. He remained assistant editor until 1937, then editor until his death by heart attack on August 21, 1943.Although he only wrote eight novels and a handful of short stories in his career, he is considered one of the giants of imaginative fiction.