About Hake Talbot
Lived 1900 – 1986. Hake Talbot was an American novelist, magician, jurist, theatre manager and writer.
Hake Talbot is a pen name of the American writer Henning Nelms (November 30, 1900 – May 1986). Talbot was chiefly known for his impossible crime, locked room mystery novel Rim of the Pit. Nelms reserved his real name for writing non-fiction about showmanship (his chief occupation was as a stage magician). He was the author of the book Magic and Showmanship: A Handbook for Conjurers (1969).
During a 1981 poll by experts arranged by Edward D. Hoch, for the preface of his anthology All But Impossible!, Talbot's Rim of the Pit stood second, next only to John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man (1935) as the best locked room mystery. Another novel, The Hangman's Handyman, which Talbot wrote in 1942, was not as successful. He also wrote two short stories, "The High House" and "The Other Side".
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Important facts
People in Hake Talbot's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Hake Talbot's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Hake Talbot?
American magician and writer (1900–1986)
When was Hake Talbot born?
Hake Talbot was born in 1900 in Baltimore.
When did Hake Talbot die?
Hake Talbot died in 1986 in Dutchess County.
What was Hake Talbot's occupation?
Hake Talbot was a novelist, magician, jurist, theatre manager and writer.
What nationality was Hake Talbot?
Hake Talbot was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Hake Talbot. https://biography.guide/hake-talbot/
MLA: "Hake Talbot." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/hake-talbot/.
Chicago: "Hake Talbot." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/hake-talbot/.
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