Bill (Merl. W, Jr.) Baldwin (born 1935) is an American science fiction writer. He writes militaristic space opera. His main series is about a male protagonist named Wilf Ansor Brim.
He graduated from The Mercersburg Academy and the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned a B.A. in Journalism and a Master of Letters degree. He served as a Lieutenant at the U.S. Air Force Missile Test Center, Foreign Technology Division, Cape Canaveral, Florida, supporting Project Mercury as Chief of the Reports Division. Later, Baldwin served as a contractor for the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center.
Until recently, he has been the president of the Wooden Boat Association of north Texas. He is also currently the managing editor of the magazine The Brass Bell of the Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club. He and his wife, Pat, enjoy life in Dallas, Texas, and Bemus Point, New York, with two cats, Bunthorne and Musetta.
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This series began in 1985 but was later reprinted in "Director's Cut Special Editions" by Timberwolf Press.
Several books of the original Helmsman saga, The Siege, The Defenders and The Defiance in particular, appear to reproduce (sometimes word for word, sometimes paraphrasing) large sections of a WWII autobiography titled The Big Show (written by Pierre Clostermann, published 1948, translated into English by Oliver Berthoud (copyright 1951 by Random House, first printing, Time/Life Book series: Wings of War: The Big Show). The Defenders pages 79–83 (Warner Books paperback, 1992) resemble in form, chronological order and paraphrase almost the complete chapter titled "Radar At Dawn" from The Big Show.
Baldwin's work contains allusions to other science fiction works. For example, Galactic Convoy mentions a planet named Throon (the capital world in the Star Kings books). Also, an attack against a space fort at the end of The Mercenaries contains several allusions to the attack on the Death Star. The Turning Tide features a freighter captain named Verger Antillies.