Farnsworth Wright

Farnsworth Wright’s place in Weird Tales began as a contributor before it became the role most readers remember. Born in 1888, he was an occasional author whose first genre story, “The Closing Hand,” appeared in the magazine in March 1923. The April number printed “The Snake Fiend” under his byline. Wright became editor in November 1924 and remained at the magazine through 1939, shaping a long run of horror, fantasy and science fiction by other writers.

That editorial career included more than acquiring stories: Wright read submissions, corresponded with authors and made choices about the magazine’s range. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction records that he published some of his own work in Weird Tales, sometimes under the name Francis Hard, but describes his writing as occasional. His editorship is the larger body of work. From late 1924 onward, his name increasingly appears in the history of the magazine as the person selecting and arranging its contents. Wright died in 1940. The April 1923 author credit therefore catches him near the beginning of a transition from contributor to editor.