Charles Willard Diffin

Charles Willard Diffin (1884–1966) was an American science fiction writer and engineer. Born in Pennsylvania, he graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a degree in analytical chemistry. In the 1930s he wrote prolifically for pulp magazines such as Astounding Stories, producing numerous science fiction tales. His representative works include Two Thousand Miles Below, The Finding of Haldgren, and The Hammer of Thor, and he also ventured into Western and mystery fiction. Public information about his life and work is limited; four of his works are held in the collection, and their common classification has not yet been determined. These works show his skill in building plots around scientific speculation and exotic adventures beneath the earth and on the moon, with the tight pacing and vivid suspense characteristic of early science fiction magazine fiction. He is an author worth noting in any study of the American pulp science fiction tradition.