Archie Binns (July 30, 1899 – June 28, 1971) was an American writer. Archie Binns was born in

Port Ludlow, Washington Port Ludlow is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. It is also the name of the marine inlet on which the community is located. The CDP's population was 2,603 at the 2010 c ...

and attended high school in

Shelton, Washington Shelton is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Washington, United States. Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. The population was 10,371 at the 2020 census. Shelton has a council–manager form of government and was the ...

. He graduated from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1921. Though strongly influenced by his

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

upbringing, Binns moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in the 1920s. While at

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City that has published several notable American authors, including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjori ...

publishing house his editor was

Maxwell Perkins William Maxwell Evarts "Max" Perkins (September 20, 1884 – June 17, 1947) was an American book editor, best remembered for discovering authors Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and Thomas Wolfe. Early life and ...

. Binns returned to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

in the 1940s. He taught creative writing at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, at

Western Washington State College Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, s ...

and Skagit Valley College."Archie Binns, NW Author, Dies" ''Seattle Times'', 4 July 1971. Binns' first wife Mollie died in 1954. He retired to

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula between the Dungeness River and Sequim Bay. The city is south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and north of the Olympic Mount ...

, in 1964, where he continued to write until his death from a stroke. His second wife, Ellen Binns, survived him and died in 2008. Binns is survived by six children and many grandchildren.

Novels

*''The Maiden Voyage'' (1931) *''

Lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

'' (1934) (Appeared on

CBS Radio Workshop ''The CBS Radio Workshop'' was an experimental dramatic radio anthology series that aired on CBS from January 27, 1956, until September 22, 1957. Subtitled “radio’s distinguished series to man’s imagination,” it was a revival of the earli ...

) *''Backwater Voyage'' (1936) *''The Laurels Are Cut Down'' (1937) *''The Land is Bright'' (1939) *''Mighty Mountain'' (1940) *''Timber Beast'' (1944) *''You Rolling River'' (1947) *''The Headwaters'' (1957)

Histories and Biographies

*''Northwest Gateway'' (1941) *''The Roaring Land'' (1942) *''Sea in the Forest'' (1953) *''Mrs Fiske and the American Theatre'' (1955) *''Peter Skene Ogden: Fur Trader'' (1967)

Juvenile Literature

*''The Radio Imp'' (1950) *''Secret of Sleeping River'' (1952) *''Sea Pup'' (1954) *''The Enchanted Islands'' (1956) *''Here, Buster!'' (1962) *''Sea Pup Again'' (1965)

References

Sources

External links

* Review of ''Lightship''. * Review of ''The Laurels Are Cut Down''. * Review of ''The Land is Bright''. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Binns, Archie 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Stanford University alumni Writers from Seattle Writers from Sequim, Washington 1899 births 1971 deaths American male novelists Novelists from Washington (state) People from Port Ludlow, Washington