A. Bertram Chandler

A. Bertram Chandler was a well-known author of pulp science fiction, best known for his works under the John Grimes novels, the Rim World series, and the Empress Irene series. He was born as Arthur Bertram Chandler in Aldershot, Hampshire, England on March 28, 1912.

Chandler spent a significant portion of his life working in the Merchant Navy as a marine officer, sailing in various types of ships, from tramp steamers to troop ships. His experiences in the Merchant Navy would later provide inspiration for his science fiction writings, lending a sense of realism to his descriptions of life in spaceships and relationships between crew members.

In 1956, Chandler migrated to Australia and became an Australian citizen. He continued his career in the Merchant Navy, commanding various ships in the Australian and New Zealand merchant navies. He achieved the distinction of being the last master to serve on the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, as required by law for it to have an officer on board while it was being towed to China to be broken up.

Throughout his career, Chandler wrote over forty novels and two hundred works of short fiction. He was highly regarded in the science fiction community and won the Ditmar Award for his short story "The Bitter Pill" in 1969. He also wrote under various pseudonyms, including George Whitely, George Whitely, Andrew Dunstan, and S.H.M.