Marion Polk Angellotti

Born in California in 1887, Marion Polk Angellotti was an American fiction writer remembered for historical adventure stories and novels. She published widely in early 20th-century magazines, especially adventure pulps, and often drew on dramatic settings such as fourteenth-century Italy and old France.

During World War I, she served as a volunteer canteen worker with the American Red Cross in France and later with the Army of Occupation in Germany. That firsthand wartime experience gave extra weight to some of her fiction, including The Firefly of France, a novel inspired by the life of French flying ace Georges Guynemer.

Angellotti was also the daughter of Frank M. Angellotti, a prominent California judge. Today she is chiefly appreciated by readers of classic popular fiction for her fast-moving storytelling, historical color, and gift for turning real people and events into lively adventure tales.