author
William Perry Brown
1847–1923
A newspaper man turned prolific storyteller, he wrote adventure tales, historical fiction, and magazine pieces for a wide popular audience. His career moved from reporting rooms to freelance writing, with books that ranged from postwar Southern romance to wartime stories for younger readers.
2 Audiobooks
Our Pilots in the Air
by William Perry Brown
Ralph Granger's Fortunes
by William Perry Brown
About the author
Born in 1847 near Ardmore in Indian Territory, William Perry Brown was the son of Philip Perry Brown and Sarah Jackson Brown. He attended Madison College, now Colgate University, but did not graduate, and his early life was shaped by newspaper work during and after the Civil War.
Brown worked as a reporter for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, the New Orleans Picayune, and the New York Globe, and he also spent time in England as a foreign correspondent for the New York Herald. He later built a long freelance career, publishing short stories and poems in magazines and papers including Youth's Companion, Golden Days, Ainslee's Magazine, and the Springfield Republican.
He settled in Glenville, West Virginia, married Emma E. Hays in 1890, and continued writing for decades. His books include A Sea Island Romance, Roraima, Ralph Grainger's Fortunes, Florida Lads, The Easterners, Jackies of the Fleet, and Pilots of the Air. He died in Glenville on September 4, 1923. Brown also wrote under the pen name "Captain William B. Perry."