Ellis Parker Butler

Many writers came and went during the pulp fiction era, a notable time when it was much easier for writers to find work and have their short stories published. Out of this time, it is considered that Ellis Parker Butler was the most published writer, with at least 2,000 short stories being credited to his name. Because of his proclivity for writing, it is impossible to know just how many short stories that the author wrote during his lifetime and how many were published. In addition to his short stories, at least 30 pulp novels were published with his name.

Although all of the novels and stories went to different outlets, Butler did have strong relationships with several publishing houses. One of these was Women's Home Companion, where the writer published short stories for almost 30 years, with the last one appearing in 1935 and being one of the last stories he would have published before his death in 1938. During his active period, Ellis Parker Butler lived in New York City and was very involved in the literary scene that emerged in the city. He was often seen out and about with other notables of the time, including Mark Twain and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

One of the most interesting aspect of the life of Ellis Parker Butler is not only his literary output, but also his personal life at the time. Regardless of the amount of short stories that Butler was able to write and publish, he kept a full time job as a banker during the entire period. In addition, he helped to found both the Author's League of America as well as the Dutch Treat Club. Several movie screenplays and films were made from his writings, but Butler was sadly not alive to see any of his works performed on the big screen.