Joseph Shallit

Joseph Shallit (February 7, 1915—June 13, 1995) was an American science fiction author. He was the son of Russian immigrants from Vitebsk (now in Belarus), born in Philadelphia under the name Joseph Schaltz. This name was the result of a clerical error affecting his parents when they emigrated from Russia, and he changed it back to "Shallit" circa 1940.

He was instrumental in getting the law against photography in Independence Hall changed when he was arrested for taking a photo of the Liberty Bell in 1942. He was a reporter at the time for the Philadelphia "Record". Subsequent to this event, the rule was changed.

Shallit served in the Army Signal Corps in the Philippines during World War II. Upon his return, he began to write, publishing his first mystery, "The Billion-Dollar Body", in 1947. He also wrote a number of short stories for science fiction magazines, beginning with "Education of a Martian", in the August 1952 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.

Shallit later worked for Pennsylvania Railroad (later Conrail), editing an employee magazine that they published. He retired in 1980, and died of Alzheimer's disease on June 13, 1995.

He was married to Louise Lee Outlaw Shallit, an author, and was survived by two sons, Jonathan Shallit, a music professor and Jeffrey Shallit, a computer scientist.

External links

* [http://www.ramblehouse.com/josephshallit.htm Joseph Shallit biography at Ramble House]
*isfdb name

Persondata
NAME=Shallit, Joseph
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Schaltz, Joseph (birth name)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Science fiction and mystery writer
DATE OF BIRTH=February 7, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH=June 13, 1995
PLACE OF DEATH=