* Lester Dent [1904-59] & Doc Savage Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

The Doc Savage Code: Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens, and my associates in everything [that] I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.

          Only-child Lester Bernard Dent was born in La Plata, Missouri on 12 October 1904. He was raised on a ranch in remote Wyoming, then returned to Missouri with his family at the age of 15. He finished school there, then learned telegraphy at college. (He originally planned to be a banker, but discovered that telegraph operators earned $20 more a week than bank tellers.) In 1925, he took a job as telegrapher for an oil company in Ponca City, Oklahoma where he met and married Norma Gersling. In 1926, he took a job as telegrapher for the Associated Press syndicate in Chickasha, Oklahoma.
          During slack times, such as on the graveyard shift, he wrote stories; the first 13 were rejected, but the 14th tale sold; Top Notch Magazine published his action story "Pirate Cay" in their September 1929 issue. This led to an offer from Dell Publishing in New York City to write for them exclusively for an incredible $500 a month; the Dents moved to New York City in January 1931. Dent learned well the business of writing for pulp magazines, and wrote many stories, some of which sold to other publishers. In 1932, pulp publisher Street & Smith asked Dent to write a series with a gadget-oriented detective hero; Dent was not happy that the stories would be published under the 'house name' of Kenneth Robeson, but he accepted the offer of $500 per novel (which was later raised to $750).
          Doc Savage Magazine #1 hit the stands in March, 1933, and was an immediate success. Dent's financial abundance allowed him time to pursue research and studies, much like Doc Savage; Dent acquired an amateur radio license and a pilot's license, passed several trade exams, and purchased a two-masted schooner. He and his wife lived on the boat for several years, sailing up and down the East Coast, and also traveled extensively; he became a member of the exclusive Explorers Club.
          In 1940, the Dents settled in La Plata; his writing continued and got better: the plots moved away from science and toward mystery, and Doc Savage's character was more evident. Doc Savage Magazine ceased publication in 1949; Dent continued writing Western and mystery stories. He suffered a heart attack in February 1959, supposedly while on a 'treasure cruise'; he died at home in La Plata on 11 March 1959, and is buried in the town cemetery.

Lester Dent entry at Wikipedia
meager Lester Dent movie credits [1957-75] at Internet Movie Database

A History of Doc Savage

Lester Dent created the character of Doc Savage at the request of pulp publisher Street & Smith of New York City. Doc Savage Magazine debuted in March 1933, and within six months was the top-selling pulp magazine in America. Dent described his hero as a mix of Sherlock Holmes' deductive abilities, Tarzan's outstanding physical abilities, Craig Kennedy's scientific education, and Abraham Lincoln's goodness, and also as manifesting 'Christliness'.
Street & Smith published 181 Doc Savage novels; 179 were credited to 'house name' Kenneth Robeson; and all but twenty were written by Dent. (The first Doc Savage novel, "The Man of Bronze", was credited to Kenneth Roberts; the March 1944 issue, "The Derelict of Skull Shoal", was credited to Lester Dent by accident.) The last Doc Savage issue from Street & Smith was in July 1949. Other writers of Doc Savage tales during that time included William G. Bogart (1939-1947), Harold A. Davis (1934-1946), Lawrence Donovan (1935-1937), Alan Hathway (1941), and W. Ryerson Johnson (1935-1938).

The main character is Clark Savage, Jr. Other characters added over time include Doc's cousin Pat (Patricia) Savage; Monk, an industrial chemist (full name Lt. Colonel Andrew Blodgett Mayfair); Monk's ugly pig Habeas; Long Tom, an electrical engineer (full name Major Thomas J. Roberts); Ham, a lawyer & financier {full name Brigadier General Theodore Marley Brooks); Ham's pet monkey Chemistry; Renny, a construction engineer (full name Col. John Renwick); and Johnny, an archeologist & geologist (full name William Harper Littlejohn). (The characters of Monk and Ham act like children and fight with each other over petty matters, and each named their pet to antagonize the other.)
Doc's scientist father had the boy tutored to become a physician, surgeon, scientist, adventurer, inventor, explorer, researcher, and musician; he was trained in martial arts and in philosophy. He maintains offices on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, a secret hangar on the Hudson River, and a 'Fortress of Solitude' in the Arctic. His costs are covered by a gold mine given to him by the Mayan people in the first Doc Savage novel; he and his team learned the Mayan language so that they can communicate out loud without others knowing what is said.

All 181 novels were reprinted in paperback by Bantam Books; the first 96 contained one novel per book; the next 15 books were paired novellas; the remainder were published in 13 'omnibus' volumes. The "Doc Savage, Man of Bronze" feature film of 1975 was a critical and box-office dud. "The Red Spider" [July 1979] was a long-lost 1948 manuscript written by Lester Dent; Philip José Farmer wrote "Escape From Loki", published in August 1991. Pulp historian (and executor of Dent's literary estate) Will Murray wrote seven Doc Savage novels based on Lester Dent outlines; they were published by Bantam from 1991 to 1993. Sanctum Books is reprinting the original magazines (with original cover art), and Black Dog Books is publishing a 'Lester Dent Library' of non-Savage stories by Dent.

As-of early 2010, Columbia Pictures is bringing Doc Savage back to the big screen! Neal H. Moritz is producing, co-writer Shane Black is set to direct from a screenplay co-written by Anthony Bagarozzi & Chuck Mondry. Still no movie in 2015, but Shane Black is still listed on IMDb as director.

Announced 5/2016: Action actor Dwayne Johnson said that he will team with director Shane Black to bring the pulpy action hero Doc Savage to life in a new film, from a screenplay by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. The project has long been in development at Sony Pictures, which bills the title as a 'franchise starter'. Johnson also will produce the pic through his Seven Bucks Productions banner along with Hiram Garcia, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Michael Uslan, and F.J. DeSanto.

"The Thousand Headed Man" [1934 novel] writing as Kenneth Robeson + Bantam #2
Doc and his men follow the trail of three mysterious black 'keys' to an ancient lost city in the jungles of Indo-China
that is guarded by an equally ancient terror known as the Thousand-Headed Man
http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Headed-Man-Doc-Savage-Adventure-ebook/dp/B08BK7QMN8/

"The Land of Always Night" [3/1935 novel] written by Lester's pal Ryerson Johnson + Bantam #13 in 1966
http://www.freeditorial.com/en/books/land-of-always-night/readonline

"The Red Spider" [July 1979] was a long-lost 1948 Doc Savage tale written by Lester Dent

Anthony Tollin's Nostalgia Ventures & Sanctum Books
new authorized reprints of The Shadow and Doc Savage!
publisher homepage

Doc Savage Collector Set (direct from publisher): Doc Savage, Volumes 1-20 [2008]
Nostalgia Ventures 10x7 pb set [2008] 20 books via Amazon third party - SOLD OUT!

#1 "Fortress of Solitude" & "The Devil Genghis"
#2 "Resurrection Day" & "Repel"
#3 "Death In Silver" & "The Golden Peril"
#4 "Land of Always Night" & "Mad Mesa"
#5 "The Spook Legion" & "The Submarine Mystery"
#6 "The Polar Treasure" & "Pirate of The Pacific"
#7 "The Lost Oasis" & "The Sargasoo Ogre"
#8 "The Sea Magician" & "The Living-Fire Menace"
#9 "The Majii" & "The Golden Man"
#10 "Dust of Death" & "The Stone Man"

#11 "Cold Death" & "The South Pole Terror"
#12 "The Squeaking Goblin" & "The Evil Gnome"
#13 "Brand 0f The Werewolf" & "Fear Cay"
#14 75th Anniv. "The Man Of Bronze" & "The Land of Terror"
#15 "The Red Spider & Other Cold War Thrillers"
#16 "The Secret In The Sky" & "The Giggling Ghosts"
#17 "The Czar of Fear" & "The World's Fair Goblin"
#18 "The Monsters" & "The Whisker of Hercules"
#19 "The King Maker" & "The Freckled Shark"
#20 "The Thousand-Headed Man" & "The Gold Ogre"

	"Honey In His Mouth" pulp thriller novel [orig 1956] by Lester Dent A mysterious mastermind recruits a smalltime con man and his girlfriend into international intrigue involving a South American dictator, his beautiful mistress, a corrupt physician, and a complex embezzlement scam worth millions in gold. Hard Case Crime mass pb [9/2009] for $7.99
	"The Sinister Ray" pulp thriller graphic novel [1987] by Lester Dent, Illustrated by Ron Wilbur Gryphon Books 8¼x5½ pb [11/87] out of print/used
	"Lester Dent's Zeppelin Tales: Five Stories of Airships! Cannibals! Pirates! Gold!" [2006] Edited by Matthew Goodman, Introduction by Will Murray Heliograph 9½x7¼ pb [6/2006] for $25.76
	The Lester Dent Library, Volume 1 "Dead Men's Bones: The Air Adventure Stories" [8 stories 2009] Edited by Tom Roberts, Introduction by Will Murray "8 thrilling tales by the creator of Doc Savage"; cover art by George Rozen Black Dog Books 9x6 pb [7/2009] for $24.95
	The Lester Dent Library, Volume 2 "The Skull Squadron: The Air War Stories" [11 stories 2009] Edited by Tom Roberts, Introduction by Will Murray "11 thrilling adventures by the creator of Doc Savage"; cover art by Rudolph Belarski Black Dog Books 9x6 pb [7/2009] for $24.95
	The Lester Dent Library, Volume 3 "Hell's Hoofprints: The Complete Western Trails Tales" [18 pieces 2009] Edited by Gene Christie, Introduction by Will Murray Black Dog Books 9x6 pb [3/2009] for $24.95

"The Thousand-Headed Man" unproduced movie project
Talks were reportedly underway in 1967 to have Chuck Connors play Doc Savage in a movie adaptation of "The Thousand-Headed Man",
per a TV Guide article; complications with rights killed the project.

There is a notation at the end of the 1975 film that a sequel was in the works, with a draft screenplay by science fiction author
Philip José Farmer adapted from the novel "Death In Silver"; but nothing came of it.

"Doc Savage: The Arch Enemy of Evil" unproduced movie project
Based rather loosely on the October 1934 pulp novel "Death In Silver", with story elements from the September 1937 pulp novel "The Feathered Octopus"; plot featured
a deformed, German-speaking supervillain and his pet man-eating octopus; circa 1975 screenplay by Paris-based Joe Morheim [1925-2005] was 'posted on the Internet';
rumors that this project was filmed in the Lake Tahoe area simultaneously with the 1975 Ron Ely movie are just plain not true.

"Doc Savage" unproduced TV series
George Pal commissioned a two-part teleplay by Alvin Sapinsley based on the May 1935 pulp novel "The Secret In The Sky"; the teleplay
was completed in January 1975, but due to the poor reception of the 'Doc Savage' film, a pilot was never filmed.

Announced 1999: a possible remake featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the works, with the involvement of Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell,
but it and several other Schwarzenegger projects were shelved when he ran for and was elected Governor of California.

Rumored in late 2006: Sam Raimi was going to make a film involving several Street & Smith pulp heroes, including "The Shadow", The Avenger, and Doc Savage;
a screenplay was supposedly written by Siavash Farahani; since then, no other news has surfaced with regards to this script.

"Python Isle" novel [Oct 1991] by Lester Dent/Will Murray
"White Eyes" [March 1992] by Lester Dent/Will Murray
"The Frightened Fish" [July 1992] by Lester Dent/Will Murray
"The Jade Ogre" ]Oct 1992] by Lester Dent/Will Murray
"Flight Into Fear" [March 1993] by Lester Dent/Will Murray
"The Whistling Wraith' [July 1993] by Lester Dent/Will Murray
"The Forgotten Realm" [Nov 1993] by Lester Dent/Will Murray

"Pat Savage: Woman of Bronze" comic [Oct 1992]
Doc's cousin Pat Savage appeared in almost 40 Doc Savage adventure tales, including as main character
& narrator of the 1948 Doc Savage story "I Died Yesterday"; this 1992 comic was a single issue.
http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Savage-Bronze-Lester-Dent/dp/B002FCHSLK/

Doc Savage, Man of Bronze graphic novels reprints

"Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze" graphic novels [2010]
Written by Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Gardner Fox &
Tony Isabella, Illustrated by Ross Andru
reprinted 1972 comic versions of "Man of Bronze", "Death In Silver",
"The Monsters" & "Brand of The Werewolf"
DC Comics 10¼x6½ pb [6/2010] for $12.23

"Doc Savage movie project" [Sony/Columbia Pictures - in development]

Announced 2/2010: Sony Pictures bills the title as a 'franchise starter'; to be produced for Original Films by Neal H. Moritz and co-written & directed
by Shane Black; co-written by Anthony Bagarozzi & Chuck Mondry • Announced 5/2013: Riding his success as director of "Iron Man 3", Shane Black confirmed
that he will co-write & direct the new 'Doc Savage' movie • NEWS 2015: Hunky Chris Hemsworth agreed to portray Doc Savage.

Announced 5/2016: Action actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson said that he will team with director Shane Black to bring the pulpy action hero Doc Savage to life
in a new film, from a long-in-development screenplay by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry. Johnson also will co-produce through his Seven Bucks
Productions banner along with Hiram Garcia, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Michael Uslan, and F.J. DeSanto • latest info at IMDb

Family & Friends
Lester Bernard Dent was born in La Plata, Missouri in October 1904 and was raised on a ranch in remote Wyoming; the family returned to Missouri when he was 15; he learned telegraphy at college and wrote short stories during slow periods (such as night shifts) as telegrapher in Ponca City and Chickasha, Oklahoma; success as an author allowed him and his wife to live on a yacht and-or travel the world for many years; he returned to La Plata, Missouri in 1940 and died there of a heart attack in March 1959.

here on the Lester Dent [1904-59] & Doc Savage Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Visiting this webpage from outside the U.S.A.? It is possible to make purchases from these coded Amazon (USA) links
via other Amazon sites: just follow these instructions.

	"Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life - The Complete Story of The Man of Bronze, America's Supreme Superhero" [1973] by Philip José Farmer Bantam mass pb [1975] out of print/scarce Doubleday hardcover [1973] out of print/used
	"Lester Dent: The Man, His Craft & His Market" [1995] by M. Martin McCarey-Laird Hidalgo Publng 8¼x5¼ pb [1/95] for $11.95
	"A History of The Doc Savage Adventures In Pulps, Paperbacks, Comics, Fanzines, Radio & Film" [2009] by Robert Michael 'Bobb' Cotter McFarland & Co. 10x7 hardcover [10/2009] for $44.00

Spirit of America BookstoreLester Dent[1904-1959]and Doc Savage

Spirit of America Bookstore
Lester Dent
[1904-1959]
and Doc Savage