author
William Johnston
1871–1929
A newspaper editor with a knack for storytelling, he moved easily between journalism, mystery fiction, and publishing. His career helped shape early 20th-century popular reading, from big-city newspapers to the launch of Dell Publishing.
2 Audiobooks
The Apartment Next Door
by William Johnston
The Kopje Farm
by William Johnston
About the author
Born in Pittsburgh in 1871, William Andrew Johnston was an American journalist, editor, and author who built a wide-ranging literary career. He became the longtime editor of the New York Sunday World and later co-founded Dell Publishing with George T. Delacorte Jr. in 1921, linking his name not just to books and stories but to the business of bringing them to readers.
As a writer, Johnston worked across several forms, including fiction, history, and books for younger readers. He is especially remembered for mystery and adventure titles such as The House of Whispers, along with other novels that show his feel for suspense and brisk, readable storytelling.
He died in 1929, but his work still offers a glimpse of a lively publishing era when newspapers, magazines, and popular fiction were closely connected. For listeners who enjoy early popular literature, his books carry the pace and intrigue of that world.