William Clark Russell (February 24, 1844 – November 8, 1911) was a popular American writer of nautical novels and horror stories.William Clark Russell from Who-When-What Book, 1900Born in New York City, he gained his experience of sea life during eight years' service as a sailor. Then he was a journalist on the staff of the Daily Chronicle before he took to writing his many novels, only a few of which are listed here.As a testament to the popularity of Russell's novels in his day, one can read about him at the beginning of the Sherlock Holmes story The Five Orange Pips, where Doctor Watson is shown 'deep in one of Clark Russell's fine sea stories'.According to modern scholar John Sutherland, The Wreck of the Grosvenor (1877) was "the most popular mid-Victorian melodrama of adventure and heroism at sea."[1] It remained popular and widely read in illustrated editions well into the first half of the 20th century.[2] It was Russell best selling and most well known novel.[2] Russell noted in a preface, the novel 'found its first and best welcome in the United States.'[1]William Clark Russell was the son of composer Henry Russell, the brother of impresario Henry Russell, and the half brother of conductor Landon Ronald. His horror work has similarities to the nautical horror stories of William Hope Hodgson.
