Harry Vernor Dixon was born in 1908 in Sacramento, California. After attending the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, he went into show business as an eccentric dancer, headlining with R.K.O., Paramount-Publix and the Orpheum. Dixon published his first novel, the Jazz Age Laughing Gods, in 1935, then went on to write a number of popular short stories for magazines like Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, Atlantic Weekly, etc., until returning to the novel form in 1950 with Something for Nothing. Most of his novels featured a social-climbing outsider, dealing more with the consequences of character than crime. Dixon eventually settled in the Monterey area with his wife, son and daughter—an area where he set most of his novels—entertaining his friends at parties with his rich voice and endless stories. Dixon passed away in 1984.