BEDFORD-JONES, H(enry James O'Brien)

(1887-1949)

   Canadian author, later a naturalized US citizen, who was one of the most prolific and popular pulp writers; of his more than 100 novels, a few - e.g., The Star Woman (1924) - were sf adventures. His works appeared in the PULP MAGAZINES - The Magic Carpet, Golden Fleece, All-Story Weekly and numerous others -under at least 15 pseudonyms. His fictions were primarily historical and adventure, sometimes having sf or weird elements as a basic framework. Among his earliest fantasies are the LOST-WORLD adventures of his John Solomon series (in magazine form as by HBJ, in book form as by Allan Hawkwood): Solomon's Quest (1915); Gentleman Solomon (1915), about an unknown Middle Eastern pygmy race; Solomon's Carpet (1915); The Seal of Solomon (1915 Argosy; 1924 UK), about a community established by Crusaders in the Arabian desert; John Solomon (1916); John Solomon Retired (1917); Solomon's Son (1918); John Solomon, Supercargo (1924 UK); John Solomon, Incognito (1925 UK); The Shawl of Solomon (1925 UK); The Wizard of the Atlas (1928 UK). In similar vein are Splendour of the Gods (1924) and, in collaboration with W.C. Robertson, The Temple of the Ten (1921; 1973), both of which appeared under his own name.More germane to the genre were the several series that later appeared in The BLUE BOOK MAGAZINE. The first of these was the Trumpets from Oblivion series, 11 stories running from "The Stagnant Death" (1938) to "The Serpent People" (1939). In these tales a device capable of recording sounds and images from the past is used to establish a rational origin for various myths and legends. A similar gadget is employed in the nine Counterclockwise stories, running from "Counterclockwise" (1943) to "The Gods do not Forget" (1944). Also in The Blue Book Magazine appeared two futuristic series (as by Gordon Keyne) dealing, respectively, with the struggle to maintain peace in the post-WWII years and with a post-WWII Bureau of Missing Persons. The first, Tomorrow's Men, comprised "Peace Hath her Victories" (1943), "The Battle for France" (1943), "Sahara Doom" (1943) and "Tomorrow in Egypt" (1943). The second series was Quest, Inc., with 12 stories from "The Affair of the Drifting Face" (1943) to "The Final Hoard" (1945). Other series included The Adventures of a Professional Corpse (1940-41 WEIRD TALES), Carson's Folly (1945-6 Blue Book Magazine) and The Sphinx Emerald (1946-7 Blue Book Magazine), which last traces the malign influence of a gem throughout history.

   JE

   See also: CANADA; MYTHOLOGY.