Miriam Allen De Ford

Born in Philadelphia on August 21, 1888, Miriam Allen deFord was an American writer known mainly for mystery and science fiction. Reliable reference sources describe her as especially active across several kinds of writing, including fiction, journalism, and editing, and note that she died in San Francisco on February 22, 1975.

Early in her career, she wrote for left-wing publications such as The Masses, The Liberator, and the Federated Press Bulletin. Reference works also connect her with causes including women's suffrage and birth control, showing how closely her writing life was tied to public debate and reform.

DeFord later became best known to many readers for her mysteries and speculative fiction. The Science Fiction Encyclopedia notes works such as Xenogenesis and her anthology Space, Time and Crime, while other reliable listings note that her story "A Death in the Family" was adapted for television, helping her work reach audiences beyond the page.