December 29
One of the top writers at Adventure, Arthur D. Howden Smith was born on this date in 1887 in New York. He is one of the many authors featured in The Beginner’s Guide to Pulp Fiction, Volume 2.
As a teenager, Smith became an apprentice at the New York Evening Post. His career as a reporter started when he headed to the Balkans in 1907 to cover Macedonia’s revolt against the Turkish Empire.
He returned to the United States to work for the newspaper in 1908. His first story for Adventure was published in 1911. While writing for the pulp, he continued to work as a journalist.
In 1923, Smith published his first story of Swain the Viking. His best-known series, The Grey Maiden, telling the story of a famous sword through the ages, was first published in 1929.
Smith wrote a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Porto Bello Gold, in 1924, and a sequel to Kidnapped, Alan Breck Again. He also wrote several biographies and books on American history.
Smith died at the age of 58 in 1945.
Brick Pickle Media 