Wilcox, Don
Entry updated 18 November 2024. Tagged: Author.
Working name of US author Cleo Eldon Wilcox (1905-2000), who taught creative writing at Northwestern University; doubts that his true name was Cleo Eldon Wilcox prove to have been unfounded. Most of his work, sometimes as Cleo Eldon (once), Miles Shelton or Max Overton (twice), was for Ray Palmer's Amazing Stories and Fantastic Adventures, where he published his first story, "The Pit of Death", in July 1939. A good and pioneering Generation-Starship tale, "The Voyage that Lasted 600 Years" (October 1940 Amazing), soon followed. Wilcox used the House Name Alexander Blade at least once, and also published a novelette, "Confessions of a Mechanical Man" (May 1947 Amazing), as Buzz-Bolt Atomcracker. The Ebbtide Jones stories beginning with "Whirlpool in Space" (November 1939 Amazing) – the rest appearing in Fantastic Adventures from January 1940 to June 1942 – were published as by Miles Shelton; Jones is a junk dealer who often comes across odd and unusual inventions such as an atom constricter that converts things into two Dimensions to save space.
Wilcox's solo "The Whispering Gorilla" (May 1940 Fantastic Adventures) was cobbled together with "The Return of the Whispering Gorilla" (February 1943 Fantastic Adventures) by his Ziff-Davis stablemate David Vern writing as David V Reed, to form The Whispering Gorilla (fixup 1950), published as by David V Reed; the two stories were much later separately assembled as The Whispering Gorilla/Return of the Whispering Gorilla (coll 1998) with David V Reed. A project to showcase his best short fiction opened with The Best of Don Wilcox Volume 1 (coll 2016) edited by Von Rothenberger. [JC/PN/DRL]
Cleo Eldon Wilcox
born Lucas, Russell County, Kansas: 29 August 1905
died Lucas, Russell County, Kansas: 9 March 2000
works
series
The Best of Don Wilcox
- The Best of Don Wilcox Volume 1 (Cabin John, Maryland: Wildside Press, 2016) [coll: edited by Von Rothenberger: introduction by Mike Ashley: Best of Don Wilcox: pb/Stockton Mulford]
- The Best of Don Wilcox Volume II (Cabin John, Maryland: Wildside Press, 2017) [coll: edited by Von Rothenberger: introduction by Mike Ashley: Best of Don Wilcox: pb/R G Jones]
individual titles
- The Whispering Gorilla (London: World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd, 1950) with David V Reed [fixup: first appeared May 1940 Fantastic Adventures as "The Whispering Gorilla" by Wilcox and February 1943 Fantastic Adventures as "Return of the Whispering Gorilla" by Reed: pb/R G Jones]
- The Whispering Gorilla/Return of the Whispering Gorilla (New York: Gryphon Books, 1998) [anth: comprising the original form of the two separate stories above: pb/Ron Turner]
- The Giants of Mogo (Scotts Valley, California: CreateSpace, 2009) [first appeared November 1947 Amazing: pb/R G Jones]
- Princess of the Sea (Rialto, California: Pulp Tales Press, 2009) [first appeared January 1947 Fantastic Adventures: pb/R G Jones]
- The Giants of Mogo (Rialto, California: Pulp Tales Press, 2009) [first appeared November 1947 Amazing Stories: hb/R G Jones]
- The Iron Men of Venus (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2010) [dos: first appeared February 1952 Amazing Stories: pb/Lawrence Sterne Stevens as Lawrence]
- The Lavender Vine of Death (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2011) [dos: first appeared September 1948 Fantastic Adventures: pb/R G Jones]
- Secret of the Serpent (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2011) [dos: first appeared January 1948 Fantastic Adventures: pb/Ed Valigursky]
- Slave Raiders from Mercury (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2012) [dos: first appeared June 1940 Amazing Stories: pb/Ed Valigursky]
- Craig's Book (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2012) [dos: first appeared July 1943 Fantastic Adventures: pb/R G Jones]
- Battering Rams of Space (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2012) [dos: first appeared February 1941 Amazing Stories: pb/Leo Morey]
- The Robot Peril (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2012) [dos: first appeared January 1940 Fantastic Adventures: pb/H W McCauley]
- Dwellers of the Deep (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2013) [dos: first appeared April 1942 Fantastic Adventures: pb/Malcolm Smith]
- The Serpent River (no place given: Project Gutenberg, 2016) [novelette: ebook: first appeared May 1957 Other Worlds Science Stories (see Other Worlds): na/]
- Disciples of Destiny (Medford, Oregon: Armchair Fiction, 2023) [dos: first appeared March-April 1942 Amazing Stories: pb/Robert Fuqua]
collections
- Lester Allison (Rialto, California: Pulp Tales Press, 2009) [coll: stories first appeared 1940-1943 Amazing Stories: pb/Leo Morey]
links
- Bear Alley post by Steve Holland
- Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Project Gutenberg
- Picture Gallery
previous versions of this entry