Paul Chadwick (author)
Encyclopedia
Paul Chadwick was a pulp magazine
author who wrote many stories under his own name and various pseudonym
s. As was the case with many prolific contributors to the pulps, he wrote in a number of different genres
including detective stories
, science fiction
and westerns
. He created Secret Agent X
, published under the "house name" of Brant House, and also wrote the one and only issue of the Doc Savage
clone Captain Hazzard (May 1938) under the name of Chester Hawks. http://community-2.webtv.net/OurManHermes/hazzard/index.html
Many of Chadwick's detective stories feature the hardboiled
character Wade Hammond, who first appeared in Detective-Dragnet/Ten Detective Aces magazine in 1931. The Hammond stories were notable in combining three emerging genres of the time: science fiction
and weird menace
as well as hardboiled detectives.
His publishing record is sparse for the years during WWII and immediately following. In the late-'40s, he re-emerged as writer for the western pulps. His stories appear into the mid-'50s, particularly in Ranch Romances. After that, he went into newspaper work for the remainder of his career.
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
author who wrote many stories under his own name and various pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s. As was the case with many prolific contributors to the pulps, he wrote in a number of different genres
Literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
including detective stories
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
. He created Secret Agent X
Secret Agent X
Secret Agent X was the title of a U.S. pulp magazine published by A. A. Wyn's Ace Magazines, and the name of the main character featured in the magazine. The magazine ran for 41 issues between February 1934 and March 1939....
, published under the "house name" of Brant House, and also wrote the one and only issue of the Doc Savage
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character originally published in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. He was created by publisher Henry W. Ralston and editor John L...
clone Captain Hazzard (May 1938) under the name of Chester Hawks. http://community-2.webtv.net/OurManHermes/hazzard/index.html
Many of Chadwick's detective stories feature the hardboiled
Hardboiled
Hardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
character Wade Hammond, who first appeared in Detective-Dragnet/Ten Detective Aces magazine in 1931. The Hammond stories were notable in combining three emerging genres of the time: science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and weird menace
Weird menace
Weird menace is the name given to a sub-genre of horror fiction that was popular in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and early 1940s. The weird menace pulps, also known as "shudder pulps", generally featured stories in which the hero was pitted against sadistic villains, with graphic scenes of...
as well as hardboiled detectives.
His publishing record is sparse for the years during WWII and immediately following. In the late-'40s, he re-emerged as writer for the western pulps. His stories appear into the mid-'50s, particularly in Ranch Romances. After that, he went into newspaper work for the remainder of his career.