H. K. (Harvey King) Shackleford

Writing under the name H. K. Shackleford and also under the pseudonym Hal Standish, Harvey King Shackleford was an American author of dime novels born in 1841 and died in 1906. Surviving library and bibliography records connect him with a large body of popular fiction, and Project Gutenberg lists his works under both names.

He is especially associated with the long-running Fred Fearnot adventures, a series of brisk, energetic tales aimed at young readers. Bibliographic sources on dime fiction also link him to many other story-paper and boys' weekly titles, showing how active he was in one of the busiest corners of popular publishing in his era.

Although he is not widely known today outside collectors and researchers of pulp and dime fiction, his stories capture a lively part of American reading history: inexpensive, serialized entertainment written to hook readers quickly and keep them coming back for the next installment.