Theodore Roscoe (February 20, 1906 – May 29, 1992) was an American biographer and writer of

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

novels and stories.

Biography

Roscoe was born in Rochester, New York, the son of missionaries. He wrote for newspapers and later pulp magazines.

Lee Server Lee Server (May 27, 1953 – December 28, 2021) was an American writer. He was a graduate of New York University Film School. Server wrote several books about Hollywood cinema and pulp fiction. Personal life Server was born on May 27, 1953 ...

, ''Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers'' New York : Facts on File, 2002 (p. 226–27) Roscoe's stories appeared in pulp magazines including '' Argosy'', ''Wings'', ''Flying Stories'', ''Far East Adventure Stories'', '' Fight Stories'', '' Action Stories'', ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'', and ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...

''. Roscoe travelled widely, included trips to Haiti and North Africa. During a visit to Casablanca, Roscoe befriended a member of the French Foreign Legion. Roscoe later used this man as a model for his fictional Foreign Legion narrator, Thibaut Corday. Roscoe also wrote non-fiction for ''The American Weekly''.Audrey Parente, "Theodore Roscoe: High Class Pulp Fiction" ''Pulp Adventures'' Magazine, #23, Fall 2016. Bold Venture Press. (pp. 39-41) Roscoe's work was praised by H. L. Mencken in a 1929 profile in the ''Rochester Democrat Chronicle''. Mencken said "Many of the so-called literati could learn a lot from Mr. Roscoe. He gets things down with amazing facility". Roscoe was commissioned by the

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds s ...

to write the detailed and massive histories '' United States Submarine Operations in World War II'' (1949) and ''United States Destroyer Operations in World War II'' (1953), as well as a 737-page book detailing United States history with a focus on the role of the US Navy (titled ''This Is Your Navy'' (1950) and given to navy recruits at boot camp). He subsequently wrote several other books on naval history including ''The Trent Affair, November, 1861: U.S. detainment of a British ship nearly brings war with England'' (1972). A collection of his stories, '' The Wonderful Lips of Thibong Linh'', was published by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, Inc. in 1981. Altus Press published a three volume collection of his "Thibaut Corday and the Foreign Legion" stories. The biography ''Pulpmaster: The Theodore Roscoe Story'', by Audrey Parente, published by Starmont House (Mercer Island, WA, 1992) was reprinted by Altus in 2012.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roscoe, Theodore 1906 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Novelists from New York (state) American male short story writers 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers Pulp fiction writers American male biographers