Aka Earl L. Bell
Newspaperman, Author
Born February 11, 1895, Augusta, Georgia
Died March 26, 1972, Richmond County, Georgia, probably in Augusta
Earl Leaston Bell was born on February 11, 1895, in Augusta, Georgia. I believe the original spelling of his name was Earle, a name that could easily have been turned into "early bell" by friends and schoolmates. Bell's father was a life insurance agent. Ironically he died while Bell was a young man, leaving him to provide for his mother and two sisters. As early as 1917, when he filled out his draft card, Earle L. Bell was working as a newspaper reporter on the Augusta Herald. He may very well have spent his career in his native city as a newspaperman. However, that didn't prevent him from contributing stories to pulp magazines beginning in February 1924 with "Doctor DeBruce" in Weird Tales. Other Bell stories included "The Moon of Doom" in Amazing Stories Quarterly (Winter 1928), "The Young Old Man" in Amazing Stories (Sept. 1929, reprinted in Amazing Stories in Oct. 1962, and in Science Fiction Adventure Classics, Winter 1970), and "The Land of Lur" in Weird Tales (May 1930). Bell was an early reader of Weird Tales. The first of his four letters printed in "The Eyrie" showed up in the third issue of the magazine, in May 1923. Bell was later the author of "Sighs the Southwind" an essay in A Southern Sampler (1943) and the book The Augusta Chronicle: Indomitable Voice of Dixie, 1785-1960 (1960) with Kenneth C. Crabbe. Bell died on March 26, 1972, probably in the city of his birth.
Earl Leaston Bell's Stories & Letters in Weird Tales
Letter to "The Eyrie" (May 1923)
"Doctor DeBruce" (Feb. 1924)
Letter to "The Eyrie" (July 1926)
"The Land of Lur" (May 1930)
Letter to "The Eyrie" (May 1938)
Letter to "The Eyrie" (Oct 1938)
I'm afraid I don't know of any further reading on the life or work of Earl Leaston Bell.
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| Earl Leaston Bell's first story for Weird Tales appeared in this issue, February 1924, just in time for the author's twenty-ninth birthday. The cover art was by R.M. Mally. |
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| In his next appearance, Bell found his name listed on the cover with art by C.C. Senf. |
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| Bell's name made the cover of Science Fiction Adventure Classics in the winter of 1970 with a reprint from four decades before. The cover art by Frank R. Paul was also a reprint. |
Text and captions copyright 2012, 2023 Terence E. Hanley
Dear Mr. Hanley, could you tell me where did you obtain the information about this author?
ReplyDeleteHi, JJ,
DeleteSorry for the very long delay in replying. Your questions slipped by me while I wasn't watching.
Most of what I have here is from public records: census records, birth and death records, draft cards, etc. The lists of stories and letters are from the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. It has been awhile since I wrote this entry, but I'm sure I did a general Internet search, too. I imagine that more sources on Earl L. Bell have popped up on the Internet since then.
Thanks for writing.
Terence Hanley
Plot of the Moon of Doom.
ReplyDeleteIn 2009, due to widespread usage of atomic energy, around the Earth had been formed a field that started to pull up the Moon. That resulted in the increasing intenseness of tides and in speeding up of the Earth's rotation, the latter led to the reducing of solar energy getting by Earth and, as consequence, to sharp cooling of its surface and atmosphere.
Violent tides and reduction of temperature led to destruction of the main part of human civilization, only a few thousands were saved in high mountain's refuges, among them professor Francis Burke, who first noticed that days getting short, young astronomer Ernest Sherard, who discovered that it was caused by the approaching of the Moon, and assistant of Ernest — Mildred Reamer.
Ernest also discovered that on its approaching to the Earth the Moon have been capturing the Earth's atmosphere, forming some kind of air tunnel between Earth and Moon. Foreseeing the inevitable destruction of the remains of humanity, Ernest proposed by radio to all living people to use propeller-driven aircrafts on atom energy in order to attempt to escape from Earth to Moon. He, professor Burke and Mildred were the first, who undertook that travel and successfully reached the surface of Moon.
On the Moon professor Burke, Ernest and Mildred discovered the relics of the extinct civilization of Moonmen. Professor Burke managed to decipher their writings and learned their history. After the arriving of other people on Moon, professor Burke, Ernest and Mildred, in order to find a suitable location for Earthian's settlement, set off to examine some of Moonmen's caves and in one, that was designed for some religious ceremonies, they got trapped. In this cave professor Burke sacrificed himself to rescue Ernest and Mildred.
Even while being on Earth Ernest had discovered that Moon was slowing down its speeding towards the Earth, he suggested that at some point the forces of tide will prevail and the Moon will begin its move backwards, which would lead to catastrophic moonquakes. While Ernest and Mildred were on their way back from short trip on the other side of the Moon, the prediction was fulfilled — the Moon began its backwards movement, which led to devastating moonquakes. When Ernest and Mildred returned to the Earthians' settlement they found its complete destruction, which meant that there were no more human beings except them.
Considering that the Moon is no longer suitable place to stay, Ernest and Mildred return back to Earth to begin their life on the reviving planet as the last man and the last woman.
...compiled in Chelyabinsk, spring 2020...
Wow, Anonymous,
DeleteWhat a story! Thanks for summarizing it for us.
TH
I absolutely adored "The Land of Lur". The prose is poetic and alliteration abounds. It's a shame that was the last story he ever wrote.
ReplyDeleteHi, Edmund,
DeleteAnd thank you for the comment.
TH