author

F. St. Mars

1883–1921

Best known for lively animal stories and adventure fiction, this early 20th-century British writer published under the pen name F. St. Mars. His work ranges from wild-nature books for younger readers to a large body of magazine fiction.

1 Audiobook

The Way of the Wild

The Way of the Wild

by F. St. Mars

About the author

Writing as F. St. Mars, Frank Howard Atkins was a British author remembered for animal-centered tales and adventure stories. Reference sources identify F. St. Mars as Atkins's pen name, and list books such as On Nature's Trail, The Way of the Wild, Snapshots of the Wild, and Off the Beaten Track.

He appears to have been especially active in the great age of popular magazines, with accounts crediting him with more than 180 short stories. Many of the works published under the F. St. Mars name focus on wildlife, making his books a good fit for readers who enjoy older nature writing with a strong storytelling streak.

The dates commonly attached to him are 1882 or 1883 for his birth and 1921 for his death, so the record is not perfectly consistent on that first year. What is clear is that his writing belongs to the rich early-1900s tradition of British popular fiction and natural history for general readers.