Clyde Brion Davis, a prolific American novelist, did not begin publishing fiction until after he was forty. Born in Unadilla, Nebraska, Davis was an empiricist whose life was as varied as the lives of his characters. His parents, who ran a general store, moved the family to Missouri soon after his birth, and Davis was a pupil in the public schools of Chillicothe, then of Kansas City, Missouri. However, his genuine education, like that of most of his fictional heroes, was not a formal one. At the age of fourteen, Davis dropped out of school in order to become a printer's devil. From then on, he proceeded to take up a dizzying succession of occupations, including pressman, commercial artist, traveling salesman, private detective, rancher, fruit picker, steam fitter's helper, chimney sweep, furnace repairman, and electrician.

During World War I, Davis enlisted and served in France, where he worked...