The majority of Edison Marshall's literary work consists of historical novels, ranging from fictionalized biographies of historical figures to fictionalized heroes in actual historical settings. His short stories, while representing a relatively small portion of the literary works produced early in his career, constitute a microcosm of his artistic skills at storytelling.

The son of Lille Bartoo Marshall and George Edward Marshall, who was an editor and publisher of a small newspaper, Marshall was born on 29 August 1894 in Rensselaer, Indiana, but grew up after the age of thirteen in Eugene, Oregon, where he attended the state university from 1913 to 1916. He later served in the U.S. Army and attained the rank of second lieutenant. After his marriage, on 4 January 1920, to Agnes Sharp Flythe (with whom he later had two children--Edison and Nancy), he began a permanent residence in the Augusta area of Georgia. Drawn by an avid interest...