Donald Corley (1886–1955) was an American author of short stories, illustrator and architect. He is chiefly remembered for his three self-illustrated books, which included a number of classic fantasy short stories.
Corley was born June 28, 1886 in Covington, Georgia. His mother was Annie Bradshaw, who was the daughter of James Bradshaw, Presbyterian minister and President of the College for girls In Covington. He graduated from Emory University and studied architecture in Europe. By 1918, at which time he was married with a wife and child, he was established as an architect in New York City. According to his obituary he was employed for a time by the New York firm of McKim, Meade & White, "playing a part in the work of decoration of the General Post Office." He designed camouflage for New York harbor during World War I. In 1920 he was living singly as a lodger together with other writers and artists.
Corley contributed as a writer to a number of magazines from the late 1910s through the early 1930s, including Scribner's Magazine, the Pictorial Review, Harper's Magazine, and The Forum. His first collection, titled The House of Lost Identity after the initial story in it, was published by Robert M. McBride in 1927 and was reasonably well-received, particularly by James Branch Cabell, who wrote a review that was included as an introduction in later printings. His best-known work was his second book, The Fifth Son of the Shoemaker (1930). It and the subsequent The Haunted Jester (1931) appear to have sold less well, however, and afterwards he stopped publishing. He continued writing into his old age, well after abandoning his architectural profession.
As an artist Corley illustrated many magazine articles and books in addition to his own works.
He died on Sunday, December 11, 1955, at the age of 69 at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York. He was survived by his daughter Sheila and brother Neil. Neil would not claim Donald's body, so he was buried in Potters Field.
The Haunted Jester and The House of Lost Identity were reprinted by Books for Libraries in 1970 and 1971, respectively. Not long after, Corley's work was rediscovered by Lin Carter, who anthologized two of his fantasies in Discoveries in Fantasy for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in 1972, and another in Realms of Wizardry for Doubleday in 1976. Carter describes Corley's style as possessing a quality of "gorgeousness", which he characterizes as having "the sort of verbal richness that bejewels the pages of Clark Ashton Smith's work or the Arabian Nights ... lazy and singing, [with] a certain playfulness to it ..."
