William Johnston

Born in 1871, William Andrew Johnston was an American journalist, editor, and author whose career moved easily between newspapers, magazines, and fiction. He served for many years as editor of the New York Sunday World, building a reputation in popular writing before expanding into book publishing.

Johnston wrote novels and stories that often leaned toward mystery and melodrama. Among his best-known works is The House of Whispers, which was adapted for the screen during the silent-film era, and his fiction has remained of interest through public-domain and audiobook collections.

In 1921, he became a co-founder of Dell Publishing with George T. Delacorte Jr., linking his name not just to storytelling but also to the business of bringing mass-market reading to a wide audience. He died in 1929.