Derleth, August (1909-1971), was an American author and editor known for his stories of fantasy and the supernatural. He also wrote fiction about Wisconsin. In many stories, Derleth wrote of dark forces that involve haunted places and encounters between children and ghosts. In 1939, Derleth and Donald Wandrei founded Arkham House, a publishing firm dedicated to promoting the horror-fantasy stories of Derleth’s mentor H. P. Lovecraft. The firm eventually published other American fantasy writers who became well known, such as Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, and A. E. van Vogt. Derleth was also a skilled literary imitator. He created Solar Pons, an imitation of Sherlock Holmes. In addition to his novels and stories, Derleth also edited more than 40 anthologies of writings by other authors.
August William Derleth was born on Feb. 24, 1909, in Sauk City, Wisconsin. The region is the setting for his Sac Prairie novels, including Wind over Wisconsin (1938) and Evening in Spring (1941). He died on July 4, 1971.
