McIntyre, John Thomas, 1871-1951

Colorful Philadelphia author John T. McIntyre was orphaned as a youth, and raised by an aunt; he left school by his early teens to earn a living at hard labor. Inspired by pulp adventure tales, he began to publish stories in Philadelphia papers in the 1890s; he also wrote plays for the South Street Standard Theatre and, later, novels. He eked out a living as a writer, but success eluded him until 1936, when the eerie minor classic Steps Going Down made him an overnight sensation at the age of sixty five. He could not repeat the success however, as his fatal fondness for melodrama and contrivance diminished his literary efforts, and he returned to obscurity and penury.

From the description of John T. McIntyre letter to Dear Benners, circa 1923 March 24. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 67612894

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