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Johnston McCulley
Johnston McCulley was an American writer, the author of hundreds of stories, fifty novels, numerous screenplays for film and television, and the creator of the character Zorro.
Born in Ottawa, Illinois, and raised in Chillicothe, Illinois, McCulley graduated from Chillicothe Township High School in 1901. He started as a police reporter for The Police Gazette and served as an Army public affairs officer during World War I. An amateur history buff, he went on to a career in pulp magazines and screenplays, often using a Southern California backdrop for his stories.
Many of his novels and stories were written under the pseudonyms Harrington Strong, Raley Brien, George Drayne, Monica Morton, Rowena Raley, Frederic Phelps, Walter Pierson, and John Mack Stone, among others.
Aside from Zorro, McCulley created many other pulp characters, including Black Star, The Spider, The Mongoose, and Thubway Tham. Many of McCulley's characters—The Green Ghost, The Thunderbolt, and The Crimson Clown—were inspirations for the masked heroes that have appeared in popular culture from McCulley's time to the present day.
Books by Johnston McCulley
The Mark of Zorro
The Curse of Capistrano is a 1919 novel by Johnston McCulley and the first work to feature the Californio character Diego Vega, the masked hero also called Zorro (zorro is the Spanish word for fox). It first appeared as a five-part magazine serial. T...
Black Star's Campaign
It is an exciting adventure novel that will captivate the imagination of young readers. This thrilling book takes readers on a journey filled with mystery, action, and unexpected twists. Set in an intriguing world, "Black Star's Campaign" follows the...
Brand of Silence
Sidney Prale, after a decade spent pursuing fortune, returns to his hometown of New York City, only to find himself ostracized. He is met with rejection at places he once frequented, encountering a baffling wall of silence and hostility. Haunted by...
Curse of Capistrano
The Curse of Capistrano, originally published as "The Mark of Zorro," introduces the iconic masked vigilante Zorro. Don Diego Vega, a wealthy gentleman, leads a double life as the mysterious Zorro, a champion of the downtrodden in Spanish California...
Black Star
Black Star, a mysterious and elusive master criminal, has the police baffled. With elaborate disguises and a penchant for leaving cryptic black stars as his calling card, the Black Star always manages to stay one step ahead. Detective Roger Verbeck t...
Further Adventures of Zorro
The Further Adventures of Zorro is a classic swashbuckling tale filled with action, adventure, and romance. The masked hero Zorro must rescue the kidnapped Lolita Pulido from the clutches of pirates and other dangerous foes. Along the way, he will fa...