American science fiction writer, editor, and publisher, who was posthumously named to the First Fandom Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the 71st World Science Fiction Convention in September 2013.
He was the influential editor of Amazing Stories from 1938 through 1949, when he left publisher Ziff-Davis to publish and edit Fate Magazine, and eventually many other magazines and books through his own publishing houses, including Amherst Press and Palmer Publications.
In addition to magazines such as Mystic, Search, and Flying Saucers, he published numerous spirtualist books, including Oahspe: A New Bible, as well as several books related to flying saucers, including The Coming of the Saucers, co-written by Palmer with Kenneth Arnold. Palmer was also a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy stories, many of which were published under pseudonyms.
According to Bruce Lanier Wright, “Palmer was hit by a truck at age seven and suffered a broken back.” An unsuccessful operation on Palmer’s spine stunted his growth (he stood about 4 ft tall or 1.2 m), and left him with a hunchback. He died on 15 August 1977 at age 67 in Portage, Wisconsin.
In 2013, Tarcher/Penguin published a biography of Palmer called The Man From Mars written by Fred Nadis. Palmer is also the subject of Richard Toronto’s 2013 book, War over Lemuria: Richard Shaver, Ray Palmer and the Strangest Chapter of 1940s Science Fiction, which attempts to give a detailed history of the Shaver Mystery and its two main proponents.
Link to Wikipedia biography