A. Merritt
Abraham Grace Merritt was born on the 20th of January 1884 in Beverly, New Jersey. He moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1894. Originally trained in law, he turned to journalism as a correspondent and later became an editor. Peter Haining claims that Merritt survived a harrowing experience while working as a young reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer. This event marked a turning point in his life, though Merritt refused to ever speak about it again. He served as assistant editor of The American Weekly from 1912 until 1937 under Morrill Goddard. From 1937 until his death, he held the position of editor there. As editor, he hired unheralded new artists like Virgil Finlay and Hannes Bok. He also promoted the work done on polio by Sister Elizabeth Kenny.
Merritt made $25,000 per year by 1919, which was one of the best-paid journalist salaries of his era. At the end of his life, he earned $100,000 yearly, exceptional sums for the period. His financial success allowed him to invest in real estate in Jamaica and Ecuador. He pursued exotic hobbies like cultivating orchids and plants linked to witchcraft and magic. These included monkshood, wolfbane, blue datura, peyote, and cannabis. He was described as a hypochondriac who talked endlessly about his medical symptoms. He showed eccentric behavior like trying out any food, tobacco, or medicine found on his coworkers' desks. Occasionally he would dress in a kilt and play serenades for his coworkers with instruments kept in a locked closet at work. He lived in the Hollis Park Gardens neighborhood of Queens, New York City. There he accumulated collections of weapons, carvings, and primitive masks from his travels. He built a library of occult literature that reportedly exceeded 5000 volumes.
His first fantasy story appeared in 1917 titled Through the Dragon Glass in the November 14 issue of Frank Munsey's All-Story Weekly. Other short stories and serial novels followed in the Munsey magazines All-Story, Argosy All-Story, and Argosy. The People of the Pit arrived in 1918. The Moon Pool also came out in 1918. The Conquest of the Moon Pool followed in 1919. Three Lines of Old French appeared in 1919. The Metal Monster launched Argosy All-Story Weekly on the 7th of August 1920. The Face in the Abyss was published in 1923. The Ship of Ishtar arrived in 1924. Seven Footprints to Satan came out in 1927. The Snake Mother was released in 1930. Burn Witch Burn! appeared in 1932. Dwellers in the Mirage followed in 1932. Creep, Shadow! concluded his major run in 1934. Meanwhile, rather few of his stories appeared elsewhere outside these magazines. The Pool of the Stone God appeared in his own American Weekly in 1923. The Woman of the Wood was published in Weird Tales in 1926. The Metal Emperor appeared in Science and Invention in 1927. The Drone Man was printed in Fantasy Magazine in 1934.
Merritt's writings were heavily influenced by H. Rider Haggard, Robert W. Chambers, and Helena Blavatsky. He emulated Francis Stevens' earlier style and themes. His stories typically revolve around conventional pulp magazine themes like lost civilizations and hideous monsters. His heroes are gallant Irishmen or Scandinavians. His villains are treacherous Germans or Russians. His heroines often appear virginal, mysterious, and scantily clad. What sets Merritt apart from typical pulp authors is his lush, florid prose style. He possessed an exhaustive, at times exhausting, penchant for adjective-laden detail. His fondness for micro-description nicely complements the pointillistic style of Hannes Bok's illustrations. This distinctive approach distinguished his work from contemporaries who wrote more straightforwardly. Critics noted that his writing created a peculiar power of working up an atmosphere. He invested regions with an aura of unholy dread according to H.P. Lovecraft.
H.P. Lovecraft stated he was extremely glad to meet Merritt in person after admiring his work for 15 years. Richard Shaver also cited Merritt as a major influence on his own writing. Karl Edward Wagner included Burn Witch Burn! on his list of The Thirteen Best Supernatural Horror Novels in May 1983. Michael Moorcock and James Cawthorn listed The Ship of Ishtar and Dwellers in the Mirage as two of their top 100 fantasy books. They described the former book as Merritt at the peak of his powers. Robert Bloch also included Burn Witch Burn! on his list of favorite horror novels. Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, listed Merritt in Appendix N of the Dungeon Masters Guide. Gygax often noted that Merritt was one of his favorite fantasy authors. In the Lensman series by E.E. Smith, there is a reference to Dwellers in the Mirage. The protagonist Kimball Kinnison quotes from it saying Luka turn your wheel so I need not slay this woman.
Merritt died suddenly of a heart attack at his winter home in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida in 1943. Hannes Bok completed unfinished manuscripts after his death. The Fox Woman and the Blue Pagoda combined an unfinished story with a conclusion written by Bok in 1946. The Black Wheel was published in 1948 using previously unpublished material written by Bok. Both these books were illustrated by Bok and published by The New Collectors Group in hardcover. Sam Moskowitz discovered a number of poems among Merritt's papers after he died. Though some may have been written by other authors, they were credited to Merritt when published. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999 as its fourth class of two deceased and two living writers. Seven Footprints to Satan was republished in the January 1949 issue of Fantastic Novels. Creep, Shadow! appeared in the debut issue of A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine in 1949.
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Common questions
When was A. Merritt born and where did he grow up?
Abraham Grace Merritt was born on the 20th of January 1884 in Beverly, New Jersey. He moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1894.
What were the major publications that featured A. Merritt's fantasy stories?
A. Merritt published his first fantasy story Through the Dragon Glass in November 1917 in Frank Munsey's All-Story Weekly. Most of his other works appeared in Munsey magazines such as Argosy All-Story and The American Weekly.
How did H.P. Lovecraft describe the writing style of A. Merritt?
H.P. Lovecraft stated that A. Merritt invested regions with an aura of unholy dread through his lush and florid prose style. Critics noted this approach created a peculiar power of working up atmosphere compared to contemporaries who wrote more straightforwardly.
Where and when did A. Merritt die and what happened to his unfinished manuscripts?
A. Merritt died suddenly of a heart attack at his winter home in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida in 1943. Hannes Bok completed unfinished manuscripts after his death including The Fox Woman and the Blue Pagoda which combined an unfinished story with a conclusion written by Bok in 1946.
Which authors influenced the work of A. Merritt and how was he recognized posthumously?
A. Merritt's writings were heavily influenced by H. Rider Haggard, Robert W. Chambers, and Helena Blavatsky. He was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 1999 as its fourth class of two deceased and two living writers.