‘The Man Behind Doc Savage’

In 1974, Robert Weinberg edited and published a short booklet (130 pages) titled The Man Behind Doc Savage: A Tribute to Lester Dent. For a while I just thought it was a bio of Lester Dent, but I recently obtained a copy of it and found it’s much more than just a bio, containing several short articles on Dent and his works, as well as two reprints.

First off is a short biography of Dent by Weinberg.  For those familiar with Dent’s life, nothing new here.  For unfamiliar, this may give you some insight.

Robert Sampson provides three articles. First off we learn more about Oscar Sail, Dent’s character from a pair of stories that ran in Black Mask. I really wish someone would reprint these two stories in some form. Then we get a look at the trio of works that ran in Argosy: “Hades,” “Hocus Pocus,” and Genius Jones. I’ve reviewed all three previously. While I have the reprint of “Hades” and “Hocus Pocus,” I wish these would be reprinted again for others to read. Finally we get a look at the later works of Dent, from the digest Docs to his last non-Doc novels. Again, I wonder why no one has reprinted these non-Doc novels?

From Will Murray we get three articles. The first looks at the various inventions and gadgets of Doc. Next we get a look at the lost lands and cities (re-)discovered by Doc. Finally we learn more about the war-time novels of Doc.

Philip José Farmer provides a look into writing his “biography” of Doc Savage.

And from Lester Dent himself we get three items. First off being his “master plot.” Then we get reprints of two of his series stories: “Funny Faces,” a Click Rush story, and “The Death Blast,” the first Lee Nace story.

Sadly, I am not aware of these works reprinted elsewhere other than the Lee Nace story in the Altus Press collection and the three works from Argosy.  I would think Murray’s articles are reprinted in Writings in Bronze, but uncertain.  Had Farmer’s article appeared elsewhere? While there are more extensive biographies of Dent, the other works in this volume make this a must for any Dent fan.