Luis Senarens

Luis Philip Senarens (April 24, 1863 – December 26, 1939) was an American dime novel writer specializing in science fiction, once called "the American Jules Verne".

Biography

Senarens grew up in a Cuban-American family in Brooklyn. Around 1882, Senarens began writing new stories in the Frank Reade adventure story series begun by Harry Enton in 1868. Senarens introduced Frank Reade, Jr. as the new main character. Senarens added elements such as electricity, airships, and helicopters which resulted in him being called "the American Jules Verne." The stories were very successful, and by the 1890s Senarens was asked by publisher Frank Tousey to write a similar series featuring Jack Wright, the "Boy Inventor". Later in the decade, Tousey created the Frank Reade Library, a periodical devoted to "invention" stories, largely (or wholly) composed by Senarens using the pseudonym Noname. Mike Ashley calls him "the first prolific writer of science fiction". He would eventually write more than 300 dime novels.

In 1917 Senarens became the editor of the Tousey detective story periodical, Mystery Magazine.

Senarens also wrote under the names Kit Clyde, W. J. Earle, Police Captain Howard, Noname and Ned Sparling.