Eugene P. (Eugene Percy) Lyle

Born in Dallas, Texas, on December 31, 1873, Eugene Percy Lyle Jr. became known as an American journalist and fiction writer. Biographical records describe him as having grown up in Missouri, studied for a time at the University of Michigan, and worked for the Kansas City Times before building a career in magazines and books.

Lyle wrote novels and stories with a strong sense of motion and place, often drawing on western and adventure themes. His best-known book today is probably The Missourian, and his fiction also reached the screen: works connected to him were adapted into silent films including The Americano, A Modern Musketeer, and American Pluck.

He also wrote pieces that still catch attention for their ideas, including The Great War of 1938, a speculative story noted by reference works on science fiction. Sources consulted during this search disagree on his death year, with some listing 1961 and others 1962; the records consistently identify him as having died in San Diego, California.