H. Thompson (Harold Thompson) Rich

Harold Thompson Rich was an American writer born in Bayonne, New Jersey, on November 23, 1893. Reliable catalog and library sources identify him as a poet, editor, and author of science fiction stories, writing mainly as H. Thompson Rich and at times using the pseudonym Henry Leigh.

Rich is remembered today chiefly for his work in early science fiction magazines and for stories such as Spawn of the Comet. His fiction appeared during the formative pulp era, when magazines favored imaginative concepts, danger, mystery, and brisk storytelling. That mix of literary range and genre energy helps explain why his work still turns up in public-domain libraries and audiobook collections.

Some biographical details about his life are not consistently documented across the sources reviewed, so it is safest to keep the picture simple: he was an American author whose career bridged poetry, editorial work, and speculative fiction, and he died in August 1974.