Nick Carter: The Two Lost Chittendens
One of the most active and beloved characters the history of American popular fiction, Nick Carter began his life in 1886 as a detective in dime novels. He was created by the prolific novelist John Russell Coryell, a Street and Smith workhorse who was contracted by the publisher to write a million words a year, and who estimated later that he had published over two hundred novels during his career (under God-only-knows how many pen names).
Only a few of Coryell’s novels, however, had anything to do with Nick Carter: before the end of the 1880s, Coryell had moved on to other characters and handed Carter over to author Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey, another quick-working scribe, who continued to write Nick Carter stories for many years, ultimately turning out over 40 million words in over a thousand Nick Carter novelettes.
It is not always clear what author wrote which Carter story, since most were published under pseudonyms. In addition to Coryell and Dey, a partial list of authors in the early years who wrote a significant number of Carter titles includes Eugene T. Sawyer, Thomas C. Harbough, and George C. Jenks. Part of the character’s long-term success sprang from the fact that there were always new writers willing—indeed, eager—to try their hand. Fresh blood, you know.
Carter proved so popular that Street and Smith published Nick Carter Weekly (or the New Nick Carter Weekly) from 1896 until 1912. The end of the weekly was not, however, the end of Nick: he continued to be a regular feature in S&S’s new Detective Story Magazine throughout the late teens and twenties. In 1933, inspired by the success of single-character pulp franchises like Doc Savage, the publisher returned with a more hard-boiled version of the character in Nick Carter Detective Magazine. The new magazine lasted only three years, but was soon followed by a radio program that ran from the early 40s until the mid 50s—as well as a new generation of novels.
In 1964, Carter was given a new breath of life when he was reconceived as a secret agent. The new series, the Nick Carter/Killmaster novels, resulted in over 250 new novels featuring him. The last was published in 1990, meaning that Carter had remained a vibrant character in the popular marketplace for more than a hundred years. The books in the new series were generally published without authorial credits, which means that, as in the early years, many authors contributed to the series, including Michael Avallone, Valerie Moolman, Gayle Lynds, and Bill Crider.
The following story, from 1908, was likely written by Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey.
Only a few of Coryell’s novels, however, had anything to do with Nick Carter: before the end of the 1880s, Coryell had moved on to other characters and handed Carter over to author Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey, another quick-working scribe, who continued to write Nick Carter stories for many years, ultimately turning out over 40 million words in over a thousand Nick Carter novelettes.
It is not always clear what author wrote which Carter story, since most were published under pseudonyms. In addition to Coryell and Dey, a partial list of authors in the early years who wrote a significant number of Carter titles includes Eugene T. Sawyer, Thomas C. Harbough, and George C. Jenks. Part of the character’s long-term success sprang from the fact that there were always new writers willing—indeed, eager—to try their hand. Fresh blood, you know.
Carter proved so popular that Street and Smith published Nick Carter Weekly (or the New Nick Carter Weekly) from 1896 until 1912. The end of the weekly was not, however, the end of Nick: he continued to be a regular feature in S&S’s new Detective Story Magazine throughout the late teens and twenties. In 1933, inspired by the success of single-character pulp franchises like Doc Savage, the publisher returned with a more hard-boiled version of the character in Nick Carter Detective Magazine. The new magazine lasted only three years, but was soon followed by a radio program that ran from the early 40s until the mid 50s—as well as a new generation of novels.
In 1964, Carter was given a new breath of life when he was reconceived as a secret agent. The new series, the Nick Carter/Killmaster novels, resulted in over 250 new novels featuring him. The last was published in 1990, meaning that Carter had remained a vibrant character in the popular marketplace for more than a hundred years. The books in the new series were generally published without authorial credits, which means that, as in the early years, many authors contributed to the series, including Michael Avallone, Valerie Moolman, Gayle Lynds, and Bill Crider.
The following story, from 1908, was likely written by Frederick Van Rensselaer Dey.
