Edison Tesla Marshall (August 28, 1894 – October 29, 1967) was an American short story writer and novelist.

Life

Marshall was born on August 28, 1894 in

Rensselaer, Indiana Rensselaer is a city located along the Iroquois River in Marion Township, Jasper County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,859 at the 2010 census, up from 5,294 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jasper County. Saint ...

. He grew up in

Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Me ...

, and attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

from 1913 to 1916. He served in the U.S. Army with the rank of

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. His 1917

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

draft registration card indicated he was a "professional writer" employed by ''

The American Magazine ''The American Magazine'' was a periodical publication founded in June 1906, a continuation of failed publications purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie. It succeeded ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904), ' ...

'' and ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'', and that he was missing his thumb on his left hand. He married Agnes Sharp Flythe; they had two children, Edison and Nancy. In 1926, they moved to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. Marshall mainly wrote

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

. He also wrote some

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

about lost civilizations. For some of his work, he used the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

''Hall Hunter''. His novel ''Benjamin Blake'' was adapted into a film in 1942, ''

Son of Fury ''Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake'' is a 1942 American south seas adventure film directed by John Cromwell and starring Tyrone Power. The film was adapted from Edison Marshall's 1941 historical novel ''Benjamin Blake''. It is notable ...

'', starring

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...

. '' Yankee Pasha-The Adventures of Jason Starbuck'' was adapted into the film '' Yankee Pasha'', starring Jeff Chandler and

Mamie Van Doren Mamie Van Doren (born Joan Lucille Olander; February 6, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and sex symbol. She is perhaps best known for the rock 'n' roll, juvenile delinquency exploitation film ''Untamed Youth'' (1957). Early life Van Do ...

in 1954, as was '' The Vikings'', starring

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. Do ...

, in 1958. He held the Gold Cross, Order of Merit from the University of Miami. A life-long hunter, he stalked big game in Canada, Alaska, Africa, Indo-China, and India. A high school hunting accident cost him his thumb. He described his hunting experiences in ''The Heart of the Hunter'', copyrighted in 1956. He died on October 29, 1967, in Augusta, Georgia.

Awards

* 1921

O. Henry Award The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry. The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...

Works

* * * (reprinted 1950 as ''Trail's End'', Popular Library ) * (reprinted 1950 as ''Riders of the Smoky Land'') * * (reprinted 1972 as ''The Lost Land'') * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * He had also worked on '' Parole, Inc.'' (1948), a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, as a dialog director.

Stories

* *

References

External links

* * * * *
"Reviews: ''The Pagan King''", ''SF Site'', Georges T. Dodds
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Edison 1894 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers American historical novelists American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) O. Henry Award winners People from Medford, Oregon People from Rensselaer, Indiana University of Oregon alumni Writers from Augusta, Georgia