Jr. L. J. Stecher

Joseph Wesley was an American science fiction writer who also published as L. J. Stecher and L. J. Stecher Jr. The sources available for him are sparse, but they consistently connect those names and place his life from 1918 to 1988.

His fiction appeared in the magazine world that shaped much of mid-20th-century science fiction. Confirmed stories include Man in a Sewing Machine (1956), Garth and the Visitor (1958), Man in a Quandary (1958), Perfect Answer (1958), Upstarts (1960), An Elephant for the Prinkip (1960), A Matter of Taste (1961), Cakewalk to Gloryanna (1963), When You Giffle (1963), The Diogenes Planet (1964), and Moonshine (1967). Bibliographic records also show his work appearing in magazines such as Galaxy and later being reprinted in anthologies.

He seems to have been one of those writers whose reputation lives on through individual stories rather than a single famous novel. Several of his works are now available through Project Gutenberg, which makes him an appealing rediscovery for listeners who enjoy smart, compact science fiction from the genre's magazine age.