Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884–August 21, 1943), who published under the byline A. Merritt, was an American editor and author of works of fantastic fiction.
Born in Beverly, New Jersey, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1894. Originally trained in law, he turned to journalism, first as a correspondent, and later as editor. He was assistant editor of The American Weekly from 1912 to 1937 under Morrill Goddard, then its editor unti...
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Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884–August 21, 1943), who published under the byline A. Merritt, was an American editor and author of works of fantastic fiction.
Born in Beverly, New Jersey, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1894. Originally trained in law, he turned to journalism, first as a correspondent, and later as editor. He was assistant editor of The American Weekly from 1912 to 1937 under Morrill Goddard, then its editor until his death. As editor, he hired the unheralded new artists Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok, and promoted the work done on polio by Sister Elizabeth Kenny.
His fiction was only a sideline to his journalism career, which might explain his relatively low output. One of the best-paid journalists of his era, Merritt made $25,000 per year by 1919, and at the end of his life was earning $100,000 yearly—exceptional sums for the period. His financial success allowed him to pursue world travel—he invested in real estate in Jamaica and Ecuador—and exotic...
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