author
Joseph Shallit
1915–1995
A mystery novelist and science fiction writer with a journalist’s eye, he published brisk, imaginative work while building a long career in railroad publishing. His life and writing reflected Philadelphia roots, sharp curiosity, and a steady connection to mid-century popular fiction.
2 Audiobooks
Wrong Analogy
by Joseph Shallit
Education of a Martian
by Joseph Shallit
About the author
Born in Philadelphia on February 7, 1915, to Jewish immigrants from Vitebsk, Joseph Shallit was an American writer of mystery novels and science fiction. He was born Joseph Shaltz and studied at the University of Pennsylvania before moving into journalism and publishing.
He published mystery fiction including The Billion-Dollar Body and also wrote short science fiction for magazines during the 1940s and 1950s. Alongside his fiction, he worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad and later Conrail, where he edited an employee magazine.
Shallit retired in 1980 and died on June 13, 1995. He is remembered as a versatile mid-century genre writer whose career linked newspaper work, magazine editing, and popular fiction.