Lauran Bosworth Paine was a prominent American author, born on February 25, 1916, in Duluth, Minnesota. He led a prolific writing career, with over 900 books and hundreds of short stories to his name. Paine's literary contributions span various genres, including science fiction, mystery, romance, and western novels. He also penned several nonfiction books, primarily focusing on subjects such as witchcraft, military history, and the Old West.
Paine's writing career was characterized by his need to adopt multiple pen names due to the limitations set by publishers. Many publishing houses only accepted a limited number of novels from a single author, prompting Paine to use pseudonyms like Dennis Archer, Will Benton, Mark Carrel, John Armour, Concho Bradley, A.A. Andrews, Carter Ashby, Frank Bosworth, James Gelnn, Clint O'Conner, Harry Beck, Jim Slaughter, Claude Cassady, Will Houston, Buck Standish, Clint Custer, Cliff Ketchum, and Troy Howard, among others. This allowed him to ensure that all his written works found a place in publication.
A significant portion of Paine's books were published by London's Robert Hale, a publishing house well-known for its Western fiction. Paine's interest in Western fiction developed during his time spent in the livestock trade, rodeos, and motion pictures, where he worked as an extra due to his exceptional horsemanship skills. This real-world experience in the Old West lent authenticity to his writing, endearing him to fans of the Western genre. Paine passed away in California in 2003, leaving behind a vast and diverse literary legacy.