Lester Dent (b. October 12, 1904 in La Plata, Missouri - d. March 11, 1959 in La Plata, Missouri) was a prolific pulp fiction author of numerous stories, best known as the main author of the series of stories about the superhuman scientist and adventurer, Doc Savage. The stories were credited to the house name Kenneth Robeson. October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 1904 (MCMIV) is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... State nickname: The Show Me State Official languages English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City (largest metropolitan area is Saint Louis) Governor Matt Blunt (R) Senators Kit Bond (R) Jim Talent (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 1. ... 11 March is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as the pulps ) were inexpensive fiction magazines. ... A superhuman is something exceeding normal human standards. ... Santiago Ramón y Cajal Marie Sklodowska Curie This article is about the profession. ... Look up Adventure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Adventure (from Latin res adventura, a thing about to happen), chance, and especially chance of danger; so a hazardous enterprise or remarkable incident. ... Doc Savage is a fictional character, one of the most enduring pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s. ... A pseudonym (Greek: false name) is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to his or her legal name. ... Kenneth Robeson is the house name used by Condé Nast Publications as the author of their popular character Doc Savage. ...

Early Years

Dent was born in 1904 in La Plata, Missouri. He was the only child of Bernard Dent, a rancher, and Alice Norfolk, a teacher before her marriage. The Dents had been living in Wyoming for some time, but had returned to La Plata so that Mrs. Dent could be with her family during the birth. The Dents returned to Wyoming in 1906, where they worked a ranch near Pumpkin Buttes, Wyoming. Ranching is the raising of cattle or sheep on rangeland, although one might also speak of ranching with regard to less common livestock such as elk, bison or emu. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 10th 253,554 km² 450 km 580 km 0. ...

Dent's early years were spent in the lonely hills of Wyoming. He attended a local one-room school house, often paying for tuition with furs that he had caught. He had few companions or friends; this early loneliness may have helped develop his talents as a story-teller.

Around 1919, the Dent family returned to La Plata for good, where Dent's father took up dairy farming. Dent completed his elementary and secondary education there. 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1923, Dent enrolled at Chillicothe Business College in Chillicothe, MO. His original goal was to become a banker. However, while standing in the application line, he began talking to a fellow applicant about career options. He found out that the starting salary for a telegraph operator was $20 a week more than a bank clerk, so he changed his major to telegraphy. After completing the course, he taught at CBC for a short time. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chillicothe is the name of some places in the United States of America: Chillicothe, Illinois Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe, Missouri Chillicothe is also the alternate spelling of Chalahgawtha, one of the two principal septs of the Shawnee in the Ohio Country, as well as the name of their principal village. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ...

In 1924, Dent became a telegraph operator for Western Union in Carrollton, MO. In 1925, he moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, to work as a telegrapher for Empire Oil and Gas Company. It was in Ponca City that he met his future wife Norma Gersling. They were married on August 9, 1925. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Western Union is an American financial services and communications company. ... Carrollton is the name of some places in the United States of America: Carrollton, Alabama Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton, Kentucky Carrollton, Louisiana (now part of New Orleans, Louisiana) Carrollton, Mississippi Carrollton, New York Carrollton, Ohio Carrollton, Texas Carrollton, Virginia Carrollton, Missouri There was also a place named Carrollton, Maryland (from which... Ponca City is a city located in Oklahoma. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 20th 181,196 km² 355 km 645 km 1. ... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ...

Writing Career

In 1926, the Dents moved to Chickasha, Oklahoma, where Dent worked as a telegrapher for the Associated Press. One of Dent's co-workers had published a story in a pulp magazine, earning the huge sum (for that time) of $450. Dent, a voracious reader, was very familiar with pulp magazines of the day, and was sure he could write as least as well, if not better. He took advantage of the slow time during the graveyard shift to write. His first professional sale was an action story entitled "Pirate Cay"; it appeared in the September 1929 issue of Top Notch magazine. 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chickasha is a city located in Grady County, Oklahoma. ... Associated Press logo This article concerns the news service. ... Look up September in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... -1...

Shortly after the publication of his story, Dent was contacted by Dell Publishing in New York City. They were willing to offer him $500 a month if he would write exclusively for their magazines. Dent, stunned by the good fortune, took some time considering the offering, but eventually accepted their offer. The Dents relocated to New York, arriving January 1, 1931. Dent quickly learned the trade of the pulp author, teaching himself how to write quickly and with few rewrites. He soon surpassed Dell's needs, and began writing for the other pulp chains. The Empire State Building (right) and the Chrysler Building (left) are easily recognized symbols of New York City to the world. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In 1932, Henry Ralston of Street and Smith Publications contacted Dent with a proposition for a new magazine. Ralton had scored a great success with The Shadow magazine, and was interested in developing a second title around a central character. He had in mind a gadget-oriented detective, which appealed to Dent's love of gimmicks. While Dent was unhappy that his stories would be published under a house name, he found it hard to turn down the $500 per novel (later to increase to $750) and accepted Ralston's offer. 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday. ... Street & Smith book department in 1906 Street & Smith composing room circa 1905-1910 Street & Smith bindery in 1910 Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. ... The Shadow, as seen on the cover of the July 15, 1939 issue of The Shadow Magazine. ...

Issue 1 of Doc Savage magazine hit the stands in March, 1933; within 6 months it was one of the top selling pulp magazines on the market. Much of the success lay in Dent's fantastic imagination, fueled by his own personal curiousity. Dent was able to use the freedom that his new-found financial security allowed to learn and explore. In addition to being a wide-ranging reader, Dent also took courses in technology and the trades. He earned both his ham radio and pilot's license, passed both the electricians' and plumbers' trade exams, and was an avid mountain climber. His usual method was to learn a subject thoroughly, then move on to another. An example is boating: in the late 1930's, Dent bought a 40 foot two-masted schooner. He and his wife lived on it for several years, sailing it up and down the eastern coast of the US, then sold it in 1940. The Dents travelled extensively as well, enough to earn Lester a membership in the Explorers Club. March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Amateur radio, commonly called ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). ... Two-masted fishing schooner A schooner (IPA: ) is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. ... The Explorers Club is international organzation formed by the survivors of Frederick Cooks 1894 Arctic expedition. ...

In 1940, the Dents returned to La Plata for good. Dent continued to write for Doc Savage, but also found time to work in the other pulp ranges. His post-1941 Doc Savage work benefitted from this; the later Savage novels are known for their tighter plotting, improved dialogue, and a shift towards mystery instead of super-science. Doc Savage himself begins to shed his superman image, and to show more human side. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After Doc Savage Magazine ceased publication in 1949, Dent found continuing success as a mystery and Western writer. His final published story was a Western entitled "Savage Challenge." It was published in the February 22, 1958 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The word western is an adjective used to refer to things that are in the West. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of every year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... There have been many publications called the Saturday Evening Post; several were/are local British newspapers. ...

Dent suffered a heart attack in February 1959. He was hospitalized, but subsequently died on March 11, 1959. Dent is buried in the La Plata cemetery. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 11 March is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ...

Dent appears as a character in the 2006 novel The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont. The novel describes friendship and rivalry among pulp writers of the 1930s; it also includes Walter Gibson, creator of The Shadow. 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... Walter Gibson was an American author who created the pulp fiction character The Shadow. ... The Shadow, as seen on the cover of the July 15, 1939 issue of The Shadow Magazine. ...

Trivia

• Of the 181 Doc Savage novels published by Street and Smith, 179 were credited to Kenneth Robeson. The first novel, The Man of Bronze, used the name Kenneth Roberts, but this was changed after another author named Kenneth Roberts was found. The March 1944 issue, "The Derelict of Skull Shoal", was accidentally credited to Lester Dent. This was the only time during the run of the magazine that Dent's name was used.

1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Doc Savage Novels written by Dent

Harold A. Davis was a pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Doc Savage novels writen by Davis The King Maker--published June 1934 (with Lester Dent) Dust of Death--published October 1935 (with Lester Dent) The Land of Fear--published June 1937... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Land of Always-Night The Fantastic Island The Motion Menace Categories: Writer stubs ... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: The King Maker (but was rewritten entirely by Lester Dent) Dust of Death The Land of Fear The Golden Peril The Living-Fire Menace The Mountain Monster The Munitions Master The Green Death Merchants of Disaster... Pulp fiction writer who wrote several Doc Savage novels under the pseudonym Kenneth Robeson: Worlds Fair Goblin Hex The Angry Ghost The Spotted Men The Flying Goblin Tunnel Terror The Awful Dynasty Bequest of Evil The Magic Forest Fire and Ice Death in Little Houses The Disappearing Lady Target...

References

• Farmer, Philip José (1975). Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, p. 18-27, New York: Bantam Books.

• "Lester Dent biography". Dale's Doc Savage Page. URL accessed on 2006-01-13.

• "Lester Dent: The Man, His Craft, and His Market, by M. Martin McCarey-Laird". (biography). URL accessed on 2006-01-14.