Rev. W. Harris

Born in Pennsylvania in 1865, William Shuler Harris was an American minister, writer, and entrepreneur. He is often listed as Rev. W. S. Harris, and his work ranged from religious commentary to allegory and speculative fiction.

His most famous book, Life in a Thousand Worlds (1905), is an unusual early science-fiction voyage that sends its narrator across the solar system and beyond while exploring moral, social, and spiritual questions. He also wrote books such as Sermons by the Devil and Mr. World and Miss Church-Member, showing the same blend of preaching, imagination, and social criticism.

Harris lived a long life, dying in 1956. Today he is remembered less as a mainstream literary figure than as a curious and original voice whose fiction brought together pulp adventure, religious thought, and turn-of-the-century wonder.