Anthony M. Rud

Anthony M. Rud was an American pulp writer and magazine editor, born in Chicago in 1893 and active in popular fiction from the late 1910s through 1942. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction traces his first apparent story sale to “The October Blight,” published in The Green Book Magazine in 1918. He wrote across several genres, including adventure, detective fiction and weird fiction, and his work appeared in magazines such as Weird Tales, The Blue Book Magazine and Thrilling Wonder Stories.

“Ooze,” his story in the first issue of Weird Tales in March 1923, gave the new magazine its cover story. Rud returned in the April issue with “A Square of Canvas.” These two bylines establish his place in the magazine’s early run without relying on later claims about influence or reputation. The pulp record continued beyond Weird Tales: Rud edited magazines and published fiction in other popular markets, including detective and Western titles. His career shows how one writer could move among editorial work and several kinds of short fiction while publishing under a stable principal byline.