Manly Wade Wellman

Manly Wade Wellman (May 21, 1903 – April 5, 1986) was an American author. Wellman wrote in a wide variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, historical fiction, detective fiction, western fiction, juvenile fiction, and non-fiction. Karl Edward Wagner referred to him as "the dean of fantasy writers". Wellman was a long-time resident of North Carolina. He earned many awards, including the World Fantasy Award and Edgar Allan Poe Award. Three of Wellman's most famous reappearing protagonists are Silver John, aka John the Balladeer, the wandering backwoods minstrel with a silver-stringed guitar; the elderly 'occult detective' Judge Pursuivant; and John Thunstone, also an occult investigator.