Jr. Sam Merwin

Samuel Kimball Merwin Jr. was an American writer and editor born in Plainfield, New Jersey, on April 28, 1910, and he died in Los Angeles on January 13, 1996. He wrote mysteries as well as science fiction, and he also worked as an editor for popular magazines, giving him a strong place in the world of pulp and genre fiction.

He was the son of writer Samuel Merwin, and several reference sources describe him as both a fiction writer and an influential magazine editor. Science-fiction references especially note his editorial work on magazines such as Thrilling Wonder Stories and Startling Stories, alongside his own fiction.

Merwin published under his own name and several pseudonyms, including Elizabeth Deare Bennett, Matt Lee, Jacques Jean Ferrat, and Carter Sprague. Readers who enjoy classic mid-century speculative fiction often know him for fast-moving, imaginative stories and for the part he played in bringing that fiction to magazine audiences.