Farnsworth Wright (July 29, 1888 – June 12, 1940) was the editor of the

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...

'' during the magazine's heyday, editing 179 issues from November 1924 to March 1940.

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American list of science fiction authors, science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of t ...

called Wright "the first great fantasy editor".

Life and career

Early life and Army service

Wright was born in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and educated at the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant ...

and the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. A Washington journalism student, he spent three years on the staff of the '' University of Washington Daily'', ending as managing editor. He acted as managing editor of ''

The Seattle Star ''The Seattle Star'' was a daily newspaper that ran from February 25, 1899, to August 13, 1947. It was owned by E. W. Scripps and in 1920 was transferred to Scripps McRae League of Newspapers (later Scripps-Canfield League), after a falling-ou ...

'' on April 25, 1914 when twenty journalism students were handed responsibility for the paper for a day. An honors student, he graduated with a B.A. in Journalism in 1914. At the university, he was active in clubs, including serving as president of the Social Democratic Club. Wright experienced several personal tragedies in his early life of which he would never speak. For example, on July 27, 1913, while bathing in the ocean off Westport, Washington, Wright and his University of Washington roommate, John P. Rauen, were caught in eddying currents. Ironically, Rauen, a "good swimmer," drowned while Wright, who couldn't swim, was rescued "after great difficulties." His first job was as a reporter with the ''Seattle Sun'', but he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1917 and served in the infantry in

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 ...

.Mike Ashley, "Farnsworth Wright" in John Clute and John Grant, eds, ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy''. London: Orbit, 1997, p. 1037 Wright "served a year as interpreter with the American army." In one reference, his duty was described as "interpreter in the town major's office in Roeze." Wright's mother taught music and inspired in him his zeal for the classics and for art. For a number of years, he wrote music criticism for ''

Musical America ''Musical America'' is the oldest American magazine on classical music, first appearing in 1898 in print and in 1999 online, at musicalamerica.com. It is published by Performing Arts Resources, LLC, of East Windsor, New Jersey. History 1898–19 ...

''. His music criticism overlapped his overseas duty and, at least into 1928, his editorship of ''Weird Tales''. Wright loved poetry and later encouraged its appearance in ''Weird Tales''.

''Weird Tales'', ''The Moon Terror'' and ''Oriental Stories''/''Magic Carpet Magazine''

Wright was working as a

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

for the ''Chicago Herald and Examiner'' when he began his association with ''Weird Tales'', founded in 1923.Joshi and Schultz, p. 304. At first serving as chief manuscript reader, he replaced founding editor

Edwin Baird Edwin Baird (; 1886 – September 27, 1954) was the first editor of ''Weird Tales'', the pioneering pulp magazine that specialized in horror fiction, as well as ''Detective Tales'', later re-titled ''Real Detective Tales''. Career Baird, hired ...

in 1924 when the latter was fired by publisher J. C. Henneberger. During Wright's editorship of ''Weird Tales'', which lasted until 1940, the magazine regularly published the notable authors H. P. Lovecraft,

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

and

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...

. Yet Wright had a strained relationship with all three writers, rejecting major works by them — such as Lovecraft's ''

At the Mountains of Madness ''At the Mountains of Madness'' is a science fiction-horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February/March 1931 and rejected that year by ''Weird Tales'' editor Farnsworth Wright on the grounds of its length. It was ori ...

'' and ''

The Shadow Over Innsmouth ''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' is a horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in November–December 1931. It forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos, using its motif of a malign undersea civilization, and references several shared ...

'', Howard's "

The Frost Giant's Daughter "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is one of the original fantasy short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. The story is set in the fictional history of the Hyborian Age and details Conan pursuing a spect ...

," and Smith's "

The Seven Geases ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" (which Wright dismissed as just "one geas after another"). He could be both discouraging and encouraging with equal lack of logic. His preference for shorter fiction particularly led him to discourage Lovecraft's, whose best works emerged at longer lengths during the early 1930s. Nevertheless, as Mike Ashley has put it, "Wright developed ''WT'' from a relatively routine horror pulp magazine to create what has become a legend." Wright's wide tastes allowed for an extravagance of fiction, from the

Sword and Sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

of Robert E. Howard, the cosmic fiction of Lovecraft, the

occult detective Occult detective fiction is a subgenre of detective fiction that combines the tropes of the main genre with those of supernatural, fantasy and/or horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective who investigates murder and other common crimes ...

stories of

Seabury Quinn Seabury Grandin Quinn (also known as Jerome Burke; December 1889 – December 24, 1969) was an American government lawyer, journalist, and pulp magazine author, most famous for his stories of the occult detective Jules de Grandin, published in '' ...

, the chinoiseries of

E. Hoffman Price Edgar Hoffmann Price (July 3, 1898 – June 18, 1988) was an American literature, American writer of popular fiction (he was a self-titled "fictioneer") for the pulp magazine marketplace."Price, E. Hoffmann" in Lee Server, Server Lee. ''Encyclop ...

and Frank Owen, the terror tales of Paul Ernst and the space operas and pandimensional adventures of

Edmond Hamilton Edmond Moore Hamilton (October 21, 1904 – February 1, 1977) was an American writer of science fiction during the mid-twentieth century. Early life Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania. So ...

and

Nictzin Dyalhis Nictzin Wilstone Dyalhis (June 4, 1873 – May 8, 1942) was an American chemist and short story writer who specialized in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. He wrote as Nictzin Dyalhis. During his lifetime he attained a measure of cel ...

. Wright also anonymously edited an anthology of WT stories, ''The Moon Terror'' (1927), as a bonus for subscribers. The contents were ''The Moon Terror'' (full-length novel by A.G. Birch); ''Ooze'' by

Anthony M. Rud Anthony Melville Rud (11 January 1893 – 30 November 1942) was an American writer and pulp magazine editor. Some of his works were published under the pen names Ray McGillivary and Anson Piper. Biography Anthony Melville Rud was born in Chi ...

; ''Penelope'' by

Vincent Starrett Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett (; October 26, 1886 – January 5, 1974), known as Vincent Starrett, was a Canadian-born American writer, newspaperman, and bibliophile. Biography Charles Vincent Emerson Starrett was born above his grandfathe ...

and Wright's own "An Adventure in the Fourth Dimension", described as "an uproarious skit on the four-dimensional theories of the mathematicians, and interplanetary stories in general." However, the anthology's contents (unfortunately representative of the worst of magazine's early years) meant the book took years to sell out; for many years during the 1930s ''Weird Tales'' carried advertisements for the book at the "reduced price of only fifty cents." Wright also edited a short-lived companion magazine, ''

Oriental Stories ''Oriental Stories,'' later retitled ''The Magic Carpet Magazine'', was an American pulp magazine published by Popular Fiction Co., and edited by Farnsworth Wright. It was launched in 1930 under the title ''Oriental Stories'' as a companion to P ...

'' (later renamed ''Magic Carpet Magazine'') which lasted from 1930 to 1934. Wright (nicknamed "Plato" by his writers) was also noteworthy for starting the commercial careers of three important fantasy artists:

Margaret Brundage Margaret Brundage, born Margaret Hedda Johnson (December 9, 1900April 9, 1976), was an American illustrator and painter who is remembered chiefly for having illustrated the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales''. Working in pastels on illustration bo ...

Virgil Finlay Virgil Finlay (July 23, 1914 – January 18, 1971) was an American pulp fantasy, science fiction and horror illustrator. He has been called "part of the pulp magazine history ... one of the foremost contributors of original and imagin ...

, and

Hannes Bok Hannes Bok, pseudonym for Wayne Francis Woodard (, ; July 2, 1914 – April 11, 1964), was an American artist and illustrator, as well as an amateur astrologer and writer of fantasy fiction and poetry. He painted nearly 150 covers for various sc ...

. Each of the three made their first sale to, and had their work first appear in, ''Weird Tales.'' Wright was close friends with writers who submitted to the magazine such

(who often helped read the slushpile submissions) and

Otis Adelbert Kline Otis Adelbert Kline (July 1, 1891 – October 24, 1946) born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was a songwriter, an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine ''Weird Tales''. Kline was an ...

. E.F. Bleiler describes Wright as "an excellent editor who recognized quality work" in his book ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction''. Wright also published half a dozen pieces of his own fiction, but his stories are considered unmemorable. His poetry (all published as by "Francis Hard", a pseudonym also used on several of the stories) is considered more delicate, but he limited its appearance. (Most of the poems appeared in the earliest years of ''Weird Tales''). ''Weird Tales'' author

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

describes Wright as "a tall thin man with a small, thin voice. The latter, together with a persistent palsy, was probably due to the effects of Parkinson's disease, an affliction which had plagued him since wartime military service. An authority on Shakespeare and a former music critic, this soft-spoken, balding, prematurely aged man seemed miscast as editor of a publication featuring bimbos uncovered on its covers and horrors concealed within its pages."

Later life and death

Farnsworth Wright married Marjorie J. Zinkie (September 1, 1893, Aurora, IL - April 9, 1974, Bellevue, WA) in about 1929. She was a fellow University of Washington graduate and had worked as a librarian in various locales. They had one child, Robert Farnsworth Wright (April 21, 1930, Chicago – March 1, 1993, Bellevue, WA). Wright had developed

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

in 1921; by 1930, he was unable to sign his own letters. He attempted to launch ''Wright's Shakespeare Library'' in 1935 with a pulp-format edition of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

''. Despite the illustrations by

, the book flopped. Wright's failing health forced him to resign as editor during 1940, and he died later that year. A tribute to him by

ran in the letters column of the November 1940 issue of ''Weird Tales''. He was succeeded as editor of ''Weird Tales'' by

Dorothy McIlwraith Dorothy Stevens McIlwraith (October 14, 1891 – August 23, 1976) was the third editor of ''Weird Tales'', the pioneering pulp magazine that specialized in horror fiction and fantasy fiction. She also edited ''Short Stories'' magazine. Life ...

(who also edited ''Short Stories'' magazine).

Notable relatives

Wright's nephew,

David Wright O'Brien David Wright O'Brien (1918–1944) was an American fantasy and science fiction writer. A nephew of Farnsworth Wright, editor of Weird Tales, he was 22 years old when his first story ("Truth Is a Plague!") appeared in the February 1940 issue of Ama ...

(1918-1944), was killed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

after a brief but prolific period as a contributor to the

Ziff-Davis Ziff Davis, Inc. is an American digital media and internet company. First founded in 1927 by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis, the company primarily owns technology-oriented media websites, online shopping-related services, and ...

pulp magazines, including

Fantastic Adventures ''Fantastic Adventures'' was an American pulp fantasy and science fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1953 by Ziff-Davis. It was initially edited by Raymond A. Palmer, who was also the editor of ''Amazing Stories'', Ziff-Davis's other scien ...

, to which he contributed many humorous fantasies. Wright's niece was the Hollywood actress

Paula Raymond Paula Raymond (born Paula Ramona Wright; November 23, 1924 – December 31, 2003) was an American model and actress who played the leading lady in numerous movies and television series including ''Crisis'' (1950) with Cary Grant. She was th ...

.Parla & Mitchell, p. 198.

Notes

References

* Mike Ashley, "Wright, Farnsworth" in: ''Encyclopedia of Fantasy,''

John Clute John Frederick Clute (born 12 September 1940) is a Canadian-born author and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy literature who has lived in both England and the United States since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part o ...

and John Grant, eds., New York, St. Martin's Press, 1997. *

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

, ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction'', Kent State University Press, 1983. *

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

, '' Lovecraft: A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos'', New York, Ballatine, 1972. *Richard W. Gombert, ''World Wrecker: An Annotated Bibliography of Edmond Hamilton''. Wildside Press LLC, 2009, , *Charles Hoffman and Marc A. Cerasini, "The Strange Case of Robert Ervin Howard", in: ''The Horror of It All'',

Robert M. Price Robert McNair Price (born July 7, 1954) is an American New Testament scholar. His most notable stance is arguing in favor of the Christ myth theorythe claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on bi ...

, ed., Mercer island, WA, Starmount House, 1990. *John Locke, "Farnsworth Wright and the Art of the Nightmare" in ''The Thing's Incredible! The Secret Origins of Weird Tales''. Elkhorn, CA: Off-Trail Publications, 2018, . *Paul Parla and Charles P. Mitchell, ''Screen Sirens Scream!: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Science Fiction, Horror, Film Noir and Mystery Movies, 1930s to 1960s''. McFarland, 2009, . * S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz, ''An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia'', Westport, CT,

Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Gr ...

, 2001. *

, ''The Book of Hyperborea'',

Will Murray William Murray (born 1953) is an American novelist, journalist, short story, and comic book writer. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms. With artist Steve Ditko, he co-created the superhero Squirrel Girl. Biography Early ...

, ed., West Warwick, RI, Necronomicon press, 1996. * Robert Weinberg, ''The Weird Tales Story'', West Linn, OR, FAX Collectors' Editions, 1977.

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Farnsworth 1888 births 1940 deaths American magazine editors United States Army personnel of World War I American male poets H. P. Lovecraft University of Nevada, Reno alumni University of Washington alumni Weird Tales editors Writers from California American male non-fiction writers