Stanley Ellin

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Stanley Bernard Ellin (October 6, 1916 – July 31, 1986) was an American mystery writer. Ellin was born in Brooklyn, New York. He garnered a love for reading at a young age with an interest in works by the likes of Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling, and Edgar Allan Poe. Ellin was educated at Brooklyn College and received a B.A. in 1936. He married Jean Michael in 1937; they had one daughter, Sue Ellin.

Ellin worked as a steel worker, diary farmer, and teacher before serving in the US Army in 1944-1945 during World War II. After his brief tenure in the Army, at the insistence of his wife, Ellin began writing full-time. In May of 1948, one of Ellin's most famous short stories, "The Specialty of the House", appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

In the years to come, Ellin's notoriety as an author and wonderful short story writer grew. He was awarded three Edgar Allan Poe Awards (Edgar Award). His first Edgar was for the short story "The House Party" in 1954, then for the short story "The Blessington Method" in 1956, and his third for the novel "The Eighth Circle" in 1959. Several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents were based on Ellin short stories, and his novels "Dreadful Summit", "House of Cards", and "The Bind" were adapted into feature films.

Ellin was a long-time member and past president of the Mystery Writers of America. In 1981, he was awarded with the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor, the Grand Master Award. Ellin died of a heart attack in Brooklyn, New York on July 31, 1986.