Although Merritt studied law for a time, he began his career as a journalist in 1902 for the Philadelphia Enquirer, eventually working his way up to editor. In 1911, he took a position as associate editor for The American Weekly which he held until 1937. That year, he was appointed a full editor by William Randolph Hearst. He began producing fiction, usually of a scientific or fantastic nature, as early as 1917, with the publication of The People of the Pit in the magazine, Weird Tales. In 1918, he published The Moon Pool, a fantastic tale of lost worlds, strange creatures and ancient civilizations which has had, over the years, an almost cult following. Merritt had also developed an interest in botany and accumulated a huge collection of exotic plants, including many rare specimens. He produced works on botany, archaeology and other subjects in addition to his science fiction. Among his most popular works are Through The Dragon Glass (1917), The Conquest of the Moon Pool (1919), The Metal Monster (1920), The Face in the Abyss (1923), The Ship of Ishtar (1924), Dwellers in the Mirage (1932), Burn, Witch, Burn! (1932), Creep, Shadow, Creep! (1934), The Drone Man (1934) and The Fox Woman (1946 Posth.) |
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