H. F. (Henry Ferris) Arnold

Born in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1902, Henry Ferris Arnold was an American writer associated with horror and science fiction. Reliable library-style sources confirm that he is best known under the name H. F. Arnold and that his literary reputation rests largely on a small body of work, especially the much-anthologized story The Night Wire.

Available biographical records suggest a life that reached beyond writing alone. Arnold graduated from Knox College in 1923, later lived in California, and worked in publicity for motion picture companies; some records also note military service during World War II. He died in 1963.

Although he published little, Arnold has remained a name of interest to readers of classic weird fiction because The Night Wire continued to be reprinted and discussed long after its original magazine appearance. That lasting reputation makes him one of those rare authors whose fame comes from doing a very small number of things memorably well.