Harold Brainerd Hersey was an American editor, publisher, and poet who became a prominent figure in the early twentieth-century pulp fiction industry. Born in 1893, Hersey spent decades navigating the fast-paced world of cheap fiction magazines, overseeing the production and curation of numerous popular titles during the height of the pulp era.
Beyond his administrative and editorial duties, Hersey was a dedicated writer who published several volumes of his own poetry. His deep involvement in the literary marketplace gave him a unique vantage point on the commercialization of fiction, which he documented extensively in his writing.
Hersey is perhaps best remembered for his 1937 hardback volume, Pulpwood Editor. Part memoir and part industry analysis, the book offered a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the operations, challenges, and personalities of the pulp magazine business. Today, it remains a key historical text for understanding the mid-century American publishing landscape and the evolution of mass-market entertainment.
