author
William Gray Beyer
A little-known pulp-era writer who moved between mystery and science fiction, he brought a working reporter’s eye and a policeman’s background to fast-moving adventure stories. He is best remembered for Minions of the Moon and a brief but distinctive run in the magazines of the 1930s through early 1950s.
1 Audiobook
The deadly thinkers
by William Gray Beyer
About the author
William Gray Beyer was an American writer of science fiction and mystery, though many details of his life remain unclear. Reliable reference sources agree that he studied at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia and supported himself by selling radio receivers, later working a long list of jobs that included taxi driving, sales, railroading, and police work.
Sources also describe him as serving with the Philadelphia police, apparently in part to gather authentic material for detective fiction. His publishing career is generally placed between the 1930s and 1951, with much of his science fiction appearing in Argosy and related pulp magazines. His best-known book is Minions of the Moon, first serialized in 1939 and later published in book form by Gnome Press in 1950.
Beyer remains an obscure figure, and even major genre references note that basic facts such as his birth and death dates are uncertain. That mystery adds to his appeal: he feels like one of those half-hidden pulp authors whose stories survived better than the record of the life behind them.