Scott Gerson

Noel Bertram Gerson, who wrote as Scott Gerson and under many other pseudonyms, was an exceptionally prolific American author, credited with 325 books. His career began after military service in World War II, transitioning from television writing to a full-time author in 1950. Gerson's output primarily consisted of historical novels, with a significant focus on American history, particularly its colonial and formative periods. He also penned numerous biographies and biographical novels, covering figures from US presidents to empresses and notable women throughout history.

Gerson's extensive bibliography includes many stand-alone novels, but he also developed two popular series. Under the pseudonym Dana Fuller Ross, he wrote the "Wagons West" series, a twenty-four-book saga about westward expansion. Another series, "White Indian," written as Donald Clayton Porter, chronicled the life of a settler raised by the Seneca people. In addition to his own name, Gerson utilized nine other pseudonyms throughout his career, including Samuel Edwards, often used for screenplay novelizations and tie-in work.

Born into a family connected to the theater, Noel Bertram Gerson's father directed the Shubert theaters in Chicago. Gerson pursued his education at the University of Chicago, where he also served as a campus correspondent for the Chicago Herald-Examiner. Following his graduation, he began his journalism career as a reporter for the same newspaper. He later moved into broadcasting, working for Chicago-based WGN as a publicity writer, eventually rising to the position of talent director and lead scriptwriter. After his service in Army intelligence during World War II, Gerson shifted his focus to writing television scripts before embarking on his prolific career as a novelist in 1950.

Gerson's literary output was overwhelmingly dedicated to historical fiction, with a particular emphasis on American history, encompassing colonial times and the nation's early years. He also authored a substantial number of biographies and biographical novels, featuring prominent figures such as US presidents like Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as historical women including Empress Theodora and Matilda of Flanders. To manage his vast output and explore different genres or markets, Gerson employed an extensive array of pseudonyms. Besides his own name, he wrote under Anne Marie Burgess, Michael Burgess, Nicholas Gorham, Paul Lewis, Leon Phillips, Donald Clayton Porter, Dana Fuller Ross, Philip Vail, and Carter A. Vaughan. The pseudonym Samuel Edwards was frequently used for tie-in work, such as screenplay novelizations.

In the later stages of his writing career, Gerson created two significant series of American historical novels. The "Wagons West" series, penned under the name Dana Fuller Ross, comprised twenty-four books that began in 1978 and explored westward expansion, with the initial volumes detailing the first wagon train to Oregon in 1837. Concurrently, starting in 1979, Gerson initiated the "White Indian" series under the pseudonym Donald Clayton Porter. Set in the late 17th century, this series followed the life of Renno, a child of settlers who was adopted and raised by the Seneca, eventually becoming a senior warrior. These series were notable for featuring continuing characters across multiple volumes.