William Gray Beyer

William Gray Beyer was an American writer of science fiction and mystery whose published career ran roughly from 1939 to 1951. Reference sources agree that he appeared mainly in the pulp magazines of the period, especially Argosy, and that his best-known book was Minions of the Moon, first serialized in 1939 and later published in book form by Gnome Press in 1950.

What little is recorded about his life gives him the kind of background that sounds ready-made for pulp fiction. He reportedly worked his way through the Drexel Institute by selling radio receivers, and also held jobs that included taxi driving, sales, railroading, and police work. One source says he joined the Philadelphia police force around 1941 to gather authentic detail for detective fiction.

Beyer remains an obscure figure, and even basic biographical facts such as his birth and death dates are not clearly established in the standard genre references surfaced here. Still, his surviving work—especially the Mark Nevin–Omega stories like Minions of Mars, Minions of Mercury, and Minions of the Shadow—has kept his name alive among readers interested in vintage science fiction and pulp adventure.