Paul S. (Paul Sylvester) Powers

Born in 1905, Paul S. Powers was an American writer best known for western pulp fiction. Reliable sources consulted here describe him as a major contributor to Wild West Weekly during the 1920s through the 1940s, and as the creator of two of that magazine’s best-known heroes, Sonny Tabor and Kid Wolf.

He was also more versatile than his western reputation suggests. Sources used for this overview note that he wrote in several other genres as well, including horror, detective fiction, noir, romance, and historical writing. His novel Doc Dillahay was published by Macmillan in 1949.

Later accounts of his life describe him as an expert in western Americana and rare books. Powers died in 1971, but his work has continued to attract readers through reprints and later editions, a sign of how strongly his pulp-era storytelling still connects.