Miriam Allen deFord (August 21, 1888 - February 22, 1975) was an American writer best known for her mysteries and science fiction. During the 1920s, she wrote for a number of left-wing magazines including ''
The Masses'', ''
The Liberator'', and the ''
Federated Press Bulletin''. Her short story, ''A Death in the Family'', appeared on the second season, episode #2, segment one, of ''
Night Gallery
''Night Gallery'' is an American anthology television series that aired on NBC from December 16, 1970, to May 27, 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, '' The Twilight Zon ...
''.
Biography
Work and beliefs
Born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, deFord studied at
Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
and
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...
. She later studied at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
.
[Eric Leif Davin]
''Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965''
Lexington Books, Lanham, MD (2006); , pp. 130, 378-79. She worked as a newspaper
reporter
A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism.
Roles
Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...
for a time. She later described herself as a "born feminist" and was active in the
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
movement before 1920. A campaigner and disseminator of
birth control
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
information to women, she was a member of the
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...
from 1919 to 1922.
Her feminist work is documented in ''From Parlor to Prison: Five American Suffragists Talk About Their Lives'', edited by Sherna B. Gluck. During the 1930s, deFord joined the
Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers and to develop a history and overview of the United States, by state, cities and other jurisdictions. It was ...
and wrote the book ''They Were San Franciscans'' for the Project. Interviewed for the
League of American Writers pamphlet ''Writers Take Sides'' about the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
, deFord expressed strong support for the
Spanish Republic. She added, ''"I am unalterably and actively opposed to
fascism
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
,
Nazism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
,
Hitlerism,
Hirohito
, Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...
ism, or whatever name may be applied to the monster."''
Writing career
Most of her writing focused on
mystery fiction
Mystery is a genre fiction, fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains wiktionary:mysterious, mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually prov ...
and
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and she published several anthologies in mystery and crime writing. In 1960, she wrote ''The Overbury Affair'', which looked at events surrounding the murder of
Sir Thomas Overbury during the reign of
James I of Britain - for this work she received a 1961
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...
from the
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the E ...
for Best Fact Crime book.
In 1949, ''
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...
'' was created, with
Anthony Boucher as editor. He was known for his
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and fantasy but also garnered attention in the mystery field as well, which gave his magazine some cross-over appeal to mystery writers like deFord. Many of her science fiction stories first appeared in Boucher's magazine and dealt with themes like nuclear devastation, alienation, and changing sexual roles. Her two collections are ''Elsewhere, Elsewhen, Elsehow'' and ''Xenogenesis''. She edited an anthology of stories mixing science fiction with mystery called ''Space, Time, and Crime''.
DeFord was also a passionate
Fortean, and carried out fieldwork for
Charles Fort; she is mentioned in his book ''Lo!'' Shortly before her death in 1975, Fortean writer
Loren Coleman visited deFord and interviewed her about her earlier interactions with Fort and her trips to
Chico, California
Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...
, to investigate the case of a
poltergeist
In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...
rock-thrower on Fort's behalf.
She worked for ''
Humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
'' magazine and she was one of the signatories of the
Humanist Manifesto.
Death
DeFord died February 22, 1975, aged 86, at her longtime home, the
Ambassador Hotel at 55 Mason Street in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
.
Posthumous
In 2008,
The Library of America selected deFord's story of the
Leopold and Loeb trial for inclusion in its two-century retrospective of American True Crime.
Marriages
DeFord's first marriage was to Armistead Collier in 1915. The couple divorced in 1920.
She was married to
Maynard Shipley from 1921 until his death in June 1934.
['' Dangerous Visions'', pg. 115. (2011)]
Bibliography
Anthologies
Science Fiction:
* ''Xenogenesis'' (1969)
* ''Elsewhere, Elsewhen, Elsehow'' (1971)
Mystery:
* ''The Theme is Murder'' (1967)
* ''La Maison fantastique'' (1988)
Anthologies containing stories by Miriam Allen deFord
* ''The Lyrics West, Volume 1'' (1921)
* ''The Queen's Awards: Series 4'' - prize-winning detective stories from EQMM (1949)
* ''Star Science Fiction Stories, No. 4'' (1958)
* ''Star Science Fiction Stories, No. 6'' (1959)
* ''The Lethal Sex: The 1959 Anthology of the Mystery Writers of America'' (1959)
* ''Tales for a Rainy Night: 14th Mystery Writers of America Anthology'' (1961)
* ''The Fifth Galaxy Reader'' (1962)
* ''The Quality of Murder: 300 Years of True Crime'' (1962)
* ''Rogue Dragon'' (1965)
* ''Alfred Hitchcock's Monster Museum: Twelve Shuddery Stories for Daring Young Readers'' (1965)
* ''Best Detective Stories of the Year: 20th Annual Collection'' (1965)
* ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories Not For the Nervous'' (1965)
* ''
Dangerous Visions'' (1967)
* ''Gentle Invaders'' (1969)
* ''Crime Prevention in the 30th Century'' (1969)
* ''Boucher's Choicest : A Collection of Anthony Boucher's Favorites from Best Detective Stories of the Year'' (1969)
* ''With Malice Toward All'' (1970)
* ''Worlds of Maybe: 7 Stories of Science Fiction'' (1970)
* ''15 Science Fiction Stories'' - a subset of ''Dangerous Visions'' reprinted in German (1970)
* ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Scream Along With Me'' (1970)
* ''New Dimensions 2: Eleven Original Science Fiction Stories'' (1972)
* ''Two Views of Wonder'' (1973)
* ''
The Alien Condition'' (1973)
* ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents: More Stories Not For the Nervous'' (1973)
* ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories to be Read With the Lights On'' (1973)
* ''Omega'' (1974)
* ''Strange Bedfellows'' (1974)
* ''The Venus Factor'' (1977)
* ''Terrors, Torments and Traumas'' (reprint, 1978)
* ''Nature's Revenge: Eerie Stories of Revolt Against the Human Race'' (1978)
* ''Spirits, Spooks and Other Sinister Creatures'' (reprint, 1984)
* ''Killer Couples: Terrifying True Stories of the World's Deadliest Duos'' (1987)
* ''Trois saigneurs de la nuit'' - (Vol. 3, 1988)
* ''The Lady Killers: Famous Women Murderers'' (1990)
* ''New Eves: Science Fiction About the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow'' (1994)
* ''Women Resurrected: Stories from Women Science Fiction Writers of the 50s'' (2011)
* ''Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense'' (2013)
Magazines containing stories by Miriam Allen deFord
* ''
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine'' (March, 1971)
* ''
Amazing Stories
''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...
'' (January, 1962; March, 1972)
* ''
Analog'' (December, 1972; December, 1974)
* ''The Best Science Fiction from The World of Tomorrow'' (No. 2, 1964)
* ''Bestseller Mystery Magazine'' (November, 1958; July, 1959)
* ''Beyond Fantasy Fiction'' (March, 1954)
* ''
The Dude'' (November, 1961)
* ''
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine'' (November, 1946; March, 1947; May, 1948; November, 1950; October, 1952; August, 1953; May, 1954; December, 1956; October, 1957; December, 1958; March, 1963; July, 1964; October, 1964; March, 1965; March, 1966; May, 1966; November, 1966; July, 1967; September, 1968; May, 1972; August, 1972; May, 1973; August, 1973; November, 1973; February, 1975)
* ''Famous Science Fiction'' (Vol. 2, No. 2,
hole number 8 Fall, 1968)
* ''
Fantastic'' (January, 1961)
* ''Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (Vol. 31., No. 6, December 1966)
* ''Fiction'' - French magazine (No. 148, Mars, 1966)
* ''
Galaxy Science Fiction
''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Edi ...
'' (No. 75, 3/6
arch, 1952br>
March, 1955April, 1958December, 1961 October, 1964; August, 1967; November, 1968)
* ''Gamma'' (Vol. 2, No.1, 1964)
* ''
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' (December, 1966)
* ''
The Haldeman-Julius Monthly'' (January, 1927)
* ''
If: Worlds of Science Fiction'' (November, 1959; October, 1965; February, 1966)
* ''
Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' (August, 1951; October, 1952; January, 1954; August, 1954; May, 1955; February, 1956; May, 1956; November, 1956; December, 1956; June, 1958; December, 1958; May, 1959; March, 1960; July, 1960; December, 1960; June, 1962; April, 1963; September, 1964; February, 1965; July, 1965; February, 1966; March, 1966; May, 1966; December, 1966; March, 1968; April, 1968; October, 1969; November, 1969; March, 1970; October, 1970; January, 1972; May, 1973)
* ''
Mercury Mystery Magazine'' (April, 1958; February, 1959)
* ''
Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine'' (October, 1972)
* ''
Modern Age: A Quarterly Review'' (Vol. 11, 1966–67)
* ''
Prairie Schooner'' (Summer 1949, Volume XXIII)
* ''
The Realist'' (No. 41, June, 1963)
* ''The Saint Mystery Magazine (May1961;''May, 1963; January, 1965; December, 1965; August, 1966; May, 1967; August, 1967)
* ''
The Saturday Review of Literature'' (July 25, 1942)
* ''SFWA Forum No. 33'' - Science Fiction Writers of America (April, 1974)
* ''Science Fiction Yearbook'' (No. 2, 1968)
* ''
Scribner's Magazine'' (Vol. 94, No. 5, Nov. 1933)
* ''Shock Magazine'' (July, 1960)
* ''
Space Stories'' (October, 1952)
* ''
Startling Stories'' (July, 1952; October, 1952; December, 1952; Summer, 1955)
* ''True Crime Detective Magazine'' (Winter, 1953)
* ''
Venture Science Fiction'' (November, 1957; October, 1965)
* ''Worlds of Tomorrow'' (Vol. 1, No. 1, April, 1963; Vol. 2, No. 1, April, 1964)
Fact Crime/True Crime
* ''The Overbury Affair'' (1960)
* ''The Real Bonnie and Clyde'' (1968)
* ''The Real Ma Barker'' (1970)
Little Blue Book Series
* ''Little Blue Book No. 197: What Great Frenchwomen Learned About Love'' (1926)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 832: The Life and Poems of Catullus'' (1925)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 867: Cicero As Revealed in His Letters'' (1925)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 895: Astronomy for Beginners'' (1927)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 896: The Augustan Poets of Rome'' (1925) (editor)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 899: Rome As Viewed by Tacitus and Juvenal'' (1925)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 999: Latin Self-Taught'' (1926) (editor)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 1009: Typewriting Self-Taught'' (1926)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 1087: The Facts About Fascism'' (1926)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 1088: The Truth About Mussolini'' (1926)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 1174: How To Write Business Letters'' (1927)
* ''Little Blue Book No. 1847: The Meaning of All Common Given Names'' (1947)
Other
Author
* ''Love-Children: A Book of Illustrious Illegitimates'' (1931)
* ''Facts You Should Know About California'' (1941)
* ''California'' (1946)
* ''They Were San Franciscans'' (1947)
* ''Psychologist unretired: the life pattern of Lillien J. Martin'' (1948)
* ''Up-Hill All The Way: The Life of Maynard Shipley'' (1956)
* ''Stone Walls: Prisons from Fetters to Furloughs'' (1962)
* ''Penultimates'' (1962)
* ''Murderers Sane and Mad: Case Histories in the Motivation and Rationale of Murder'' (1965)
* ''Thomas Moore'' - Twayne's English Authors Series (1967)
Editor
* ''Space, Time and Crime'' (1964) - anthology of science fiction
References
Sources
''Index to Female Writers In Science Fiction, Fantasy & Utopia''''Domestic Suspense: Celebrating An Overlooked Generation of Female Suspense Writers''''Fantastic Fiction database: Miriam Allen deFord''''Site describing the French language anthology''
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Internet Movie DataBase
{{DEFAULTSORT:DeFord, Miriam Allen
1888 births
1975 deaths
American humanists
American feminists
American socialists
American anti-fascists
American mystery writers
American science fiction writers
American women short story writers
Edgar Award winners
Novelists from Philadelphia
American women science fiction and fantasy writers
American women mystery writers
American women novelists
20th-century American novelists
20th-century American women writers
20th-century American short story writers