author
Albert W. Aiken
1846–1894
Best remembered for fast-moving frontier tales and early detective fiction, this 19th-century American writer also worked on the stage as an actor and playwright. His stories helped shape the lively world of dime novels published for a mass audience.
6 Audiobooks
The Wolf Demon; or, The Queen of the Kanawha
by Albert W. Aiken
The Rival Trappers: or, Old Pegs, The Mountaineer
by Albert W. Aiken
Dead Shot; Or, The White Vulture: A Romance of the Yellowstone
by Albert W. Aiken
The skeleton scout; or, The border block
by Albert W. Aiken
Ben, the Trapper; Or, The Mountain Demon: A Tale of the Black Hills
by Albert W. Aiken
About the author
Albert W. Aiken (c. 1846–August 19, 1894) was an American actor, playwright, and prolific writer of dime novels. Sources on his life agree that he was born in Boston around 1846, and they connect him to a theatrical family: he was the younger brother of dramatist George L. Aiken and a cousin of performer George L. Fox.
Aiken wrote extensively for Beadle and Adams, one of the major publishers of popular 19th-century fiction. He is especially associated with adventure stories, frontier romances, and detective tales, and reference sources note that he sometimes published under the pseudonym Agile Penn. His work moved easily between the stage and cheap fiction, which helps explain the energetic, dramatic style readers still notice today.
Although detailed biographical records appear to be sparse, Aiken's reputation as a hardworking popular writer has lasted well beyond his lifetime. Project Gutenberg still offers several of his novels, giving modern readers an easy way to sample the kind of sensational, fast-paced storytelling that once reached a huge audience.