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— CH. 1 · THE BURGLARY THAT ALMOST ENDED HIM —

Fletcher Pratt

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
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  • Murray Fletcher Pratt stood before a grand jury in February 1916 after police arrested him for stealing less than twenty-five dollars from newspaper cash drawers. The Associated Press reported the incident with his middle initial as an S, creating a mistaken identity that followed him through every newspaper covering the story. His father Robert M. Pratt arrived from Springville to find officials discussing sending their son to the State Hospital for the Insane at Willard. A reporter noted that Pratt claimed his father did not supply enough funds to survive while attending Hobart College in Geneva, New York. The young man had graduated from high school just one year prior at the Griffith Institute where his family operated a trucking delivery service between towns. This turbulent youth marked the beginning of a life that would eventually span decades of historical writing and fantasy creation.

  • Pratt published Ordeal by Fire in 1935 and it became a bestseller despite being a short history of the Civil War. During World War II he served as a military analyst for both the New York Post and Time magazine. Time described him as bearded and gnome-like while listing raising marmosets among his hobbies. He later reviewed historical nonfiction and science fiction for the New York Times Book Review on a regular basis. His naval history works included titles like Sea Power and Today's War published in 1939 and Fighting Ships of the U.S. Navy illustrated by Jack Coggins. These books covered topics ranging from Commodore Preble to the Battle of Midway with detailed accuracy. Pratt wrote over thirty books on naval history before his death in June 1956 at age fifty-nine.

  • Dozens of tiny wooden ships built on a scale of one inch to fifty feet spread across the floor of Pratt's apartment. Players calculated the strengths of these vessels using complex mathematical formulas developed specifically for this game. Noted author and artist Jack Coggins participated frequently in what became known as the Fletcher Pratt Naval War Game. The system involved rules that allowed players to simulate naval battles between 1900 and 1945 with remarkable precision. A book containing these rules was printed in 2011 by the History of Wargaming Project after decades of circulation within private clubs. Pratt created this set of rules before the Second World War began and it remained influential among wargaming enthusiasts for generations.

  • Pratt established the Trap Door Spiders literary dining club in 1944 with a name referencing the reclusive habits of spiders pulling hatches shut behind them. The group gathered at The Ipsy-Wipsy Institute, a rambling thirty-one-room Victorian mansion overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Writers including William Lindsay Gresham, John Ciardi, and L. Sprague de Camp spent entire summers there during marathon weekend house parties. Laurence Manning purchased part of the property next door while the Pratts maintained a large apartment in Midtown Manhattan near Central Park. Isaac Asimov later fictionalized the club as the Black Widowers mystery series where Pratt appeared as Ralph Ottur. These gatherings fostered deep friendships that influenced decades of collaborative writing projects across multiple genres.

  • The Harold Shea series eventually published as The Complete Compleat Enchanter became their most famous fantasy collaboration with L. Sprague de Camp. They wrote novels like Land of Unreason in 1941 and The Carnelian Cube in 1948 together over many years. Pratt also authored solo works such as The Well of the Unicorn and The Blue Star which remain highly regarded today. His story Dr. Grimshaw's Sanitarium was adapted for radio drama by George Lefferts and broadcast twice on Dimension X and X Minus One. Their Gavagan's Bar stories appeared on the cover of Fantastic Universe magazine in January 1959. This partnership produced dozens of books blending humor with mathematical concepts and magical realism throughout the mid twentieth century.

  • David Kahn gave full credit for his start on cryptology to Pratt's Secret and Urgent published in 1939. Kahn found this book in the Great Neck public library as a pre-teen during the 1940s and never grew out of his fascination with codes. He told The Washington Post in 1978 that it hooked him completely. After Pratt died in June 1956, the Civil War Round Table established the Fletcher Pratt Award presented every May to honor non-fiction books about the war. Pratt served as president of that organization from 1953 to 1954 after becoming a charter member in 1951. His influence extended beyond history into science fiction through works like Rockets Jets Guided Missiles and Spaceships co-authored with Jack Coggins.

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L. Sprague de Camp

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20th-century American male writers20th-century American novelistsAmerican fantasy writersAmerican male non-fiction writersAmerican male novelistsAmerican science fiction writersNovelists from New York (state)1897 births1956 deaths20th-century American non-fiction writers

Common questions

What happened to Fletcher Pratt in February 1916?

Murray Fletcher Pratt stood before a grand jury after police arrested him for stealing less than twenty-five dollars from newspaper cash drawers. The Associated Press reported the incident with his middle initial as an S, creating a mistaken identity that followed him through every newspaper covering the story.

When did Fletcher Pratt die and how old was he at death?

Fletcher Pratt died in June 1956 at age fifty-nine. He wrote over thirty books on naval history before his death and remained influential among wargaming enthusiasts for generations.

Where did Fletcher Pratt establish the Trap Door Spiders literary dining club?

Pratt established the Trap Door Spiders literary dining club in 1944 at The Ipsy-Wipsy Institute, a rambling thirty-one-room Victorian mansion overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Writers including William Lindsay Gresham, John Ciardi, and L. Sprague de Camp spent entire summers there during marathon weekend house parties.

Who co-authored the Harold Shea series with Fletcher Pratt?

The Harold Shea series eventually published as The Complete Compleat Enchanter became their most famous fantasy collaboration with L. Sprague de Camp. They wrote novels like Land of Unreason in 1941 and The Carnelian Cube in 1948 together over many years.

What award honors non-fiction books about the war named after Fletcher Pratt?

After Pratt died in June 1956, the Civil War Round Table established the Fletcher Pratt Award presented every May to honor non-fiction books about the war. Pratt served as president of that organization from 1953 to 1954 after becoming a charter member in 1951.

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