Arthur Sullivant Hoffman

Arthur Sullivant Hoffman (September 28, 1876 – March 15, 1966) was an American magazine editor. Hoffman is best known for editing the acclaimed pulp magazine Adventure from 1912 to 1927, as well as playing a role in the creation of the American Legion.

Early life Hoffman was born in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio State University a Phi Beta Kappa in 1897. Hoffman also wrote a number of short stories for Everybody's Magazine and McClure's Magazine, including a humorous series about the adventures of an Irishman, Patsy Moran.

In 1910, the Ridgway company decided to launch a pulp magazine, Adventure. Hoffman was on Adventure's staff from its beginning, and succeeded Trumbull White as editor in 1912.

Adventure editor Hoffman began to develop a "stable" of writers for Adventure that would publish adventure fiction that was well-plotted, had good characterization and was historically and geographically accurate. Hoffman's Adventure stable would eventually include some of the most distinguished popular fiction writers of the era, including John Buchan, Rafael Sabatini, Talbot Mundy, Harold Lamb, Edgar Wallace, Walt Coburn, W.C. Tuttle, Arthur O. Friel, Gordon Young and T.S. Stribling. Richard Bleiler described Hoffman as a "tenacious, contentious and brilliant" editor. Hoffman and Lewis worked on the famous "Camp-Fire" page in "Adventure", which featured readers' letters, biographies of the magazines' authors and discussions of various issues. Hoffman added several departments to Adventure, including "Ask Adventure", where numerous experts in various fields answered readers' questions on subjects as diverse as bicycle repair and crocodile trapping.

Hoffman also created a special "Off-the-trail" section for stories different from the normal type of Adventure fiction. These included the science fiction story "The Green Splotches" by T.S. Stribling, a genre Adventure did not normally publish.

Hoffman also obtained the services of some famous artists to illustrate Adventure, including Rockwell Kent and Lejaren Hiller, Sr.

Concerned about the threat of war, Hoffman set up a committee in 1915 designed to secure pledges from former soldiers whose skills could be used in times of need. The committee was named "The American Legion". The pledges were sent to Washington, where they were used to create two regiments of aircraft mechanics.

Hoffman often used the pages of Adventure as a pulpit for his political views. After the United States entered World War One in 1917, Hoffman used Adventure to advocate support for the war effort. Hoffman's editorials also adopted a strong anti-German tone. In 1918, Hoffman added two specifically anti-German columns to Adventure, "Fighting the Hun Web" and "How to Help Win the War".

Later years After leaving Adventure, Hoffman worked as the editor of McClure's Magazine before retiring to New York. Reviewing Hoffman's Fundamentals of Fiction Writing, The Bookman magazine stated "we believe Mr. Hoffman has touched the deepest note thus far sounded. An excellent book to serve as a postgraduate course in short story writing". Hoffman died in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.