A Hack's Notebook

by Ben Haas

Traditionally, a ‘hack’ writer is paid to write sensational pulp fiction, such as true crime novels or bodice ripping paperbacks. Though Ben Haas often referred to himself as a hack, he was in fact an exceptionally talented writer whose body of work – around 120 books over a sixteen-year period – was always distinguished by exhaustive research and well-rounded, wholly credible characters. His western series, Fargo, Sundance, John Cutler and Rancho Bravo are now considered as classics of the genre. In addition, Ben Haas was also a serious, best-selling novelist. A Hack’s Notebook is the incomplete autobiography found among his papers following his death, in 1977, at the age of 51. It reveals many of the influences that were to inform his later works, and gives valuable insight into the author himself. Rounding out the book is a personal reminiscence from Haas’s friend and collaborator Jim Henderson, a scrapbook of family photos, and a complete bibliography.

About the author

Benjamin Leopold Haas was born in Charlotte , North Carolina in 1926. Mr. Haas stated in an interview that he inherited his love of books from his father, who would bid on hundreds of books at unclaimed freight auctions during the Depression. His imagination was also fired by the stories of the Civil War and Reconstruction told by his grandmother, who had lived through both. “My father was a pioneer operator of motion picture theatres”, Ben wrote. “So, I had free access to every theatre in Charlotte and saw countless films growing up, hooked on the lore of our own South and the Old West.” Dreaming about being a writer, 18-year-old Ben Haas sold a story to a Western pulp magazine. He dropped out of college to support his family. He was self-educated. He served in the U.S. Army from 1945 to 1946. He made Raleigh his home in 1959. Ben and his wife had three sons, Joel, Michael and John. Ben held various jobs until 1961, when he was working for a steel company. He had submitted a manuscript to Beacon Books, and an offer for more came just as he was laid off at the steel company. He became a full-time writer for the rest of his life. Ben wrote every day, every night. “I tried to write 5000 words or more every day, scrupulous in maintaining authenticity”, Ben said. His son Joel later recalled, “My Mom learned to go to sleep to the sound of a typewriter”.
His son John told me “It sounded like machine-gun fire coming out of his office”. Writing nonstop over the next 16 years, Ben Haas would create somewhere around 130 books under his own name and a dozen pen names.

Full Name: Benjamin Leopold Haas

Known Pseudonyms:
John Benteen
Thorne Douglas
Ben Elliott
Richard Meade
Quinn Reade
Jack Slade
Ben Stone

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not read a lot of Ben Haas's books, although he was a prolific writer, particularly of westerns. He wrote most of these under pseudonyms and a nice element of the book is a complete bibliography at the end. Haas died in 1977 of a heart attack, and this book was put together primarily by his son, Joel Haas, for publication in 2020. It consists of entries from the author's notebooks, as well as a short memoir by one of Ben's friends. The section by Ben Haas himself ends abruptly and somewhat unsatisfactorily, but there's still quite a lot there to interest writers or those who study writers. There are also some newspaper pieces on Haas, as well as images from his sketchbook. It kept me reading, but I'm definitely one of those who is interested in the lives and working habits of writers.

[Jonathan Ammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only disappointment is that this is incomplete and there isn't more. It lingers on biographical details that aren't as interesting to me, but I can't get enough of his stories on the writing and publishing process. An extra star for the bibliography which is important for this unsung hero of genre fiction.