Daisy Bacon Papers

Daisy Sarah Bacon (1898-1986) was a writer and editor of Street & Smith’s popular Love Story Magazine from 1928 to 1947. She was born in Union City, Pennsylvania to Jessie Holbrook Bacon (1870-1936) and Elmer Bacon (1864-1900). After her father’s death on January 1, 1900, Daisy’s mother married George Ford (1858-1907). Their daughter Esther Joa Ford (d. 1989) was born in 1906. Esther was Daisy’s lifelong friend, confidante, associate, and colleague. The two frequently referred to each other by their respective surnames – Bacon and Ford. In July 1943, Esther married Clarke Robinson, an opera singer, WWI officer, and writer. For a time, Daisy was involved romantically with Henry Wise Miller, a stockbroker who was married to writer Alice Duer Miller. During much of her adulthood, Daisy battled depression, alcoholism, and made at least two suicide attempts.

Daisy began her career at Street & Smith in 1926 as the reader for the Love Story advice column. Just a few months later, she started writing short stories for the magazine. Daisy became the magazine’s editor in 1928 and worked closely with her half-sister and editorial assistant Esther. At the height of its popularity, Love Story’s weekly circulation reportedly reached 600,000. In addition to Love Story and other publications, Daisy edited Real Love, Ainslee's Smart Love Stories, The Shadow, Pocket Love, Detective Story Magazine, Romantic Range, and Doc Savage. The publication of Love Story ceased with its February 1947 issue though Daisy continued to work at Street & Smith on other pulp titles. Daisy was fired from Street & Smith in April 1949 when the company ended its publication of all pulp fiction magazines except Astounding Stories.

After leaving Street & Smith, Daisy moved from Manhattan to Port Washington, New York where she continued to write. In 1954, she published Love Story Writer, an instruction manual on how to write romance stories. After regaining the copyright to Love Story Writer in 1963, Bacon established Gemini Books and republished the book as a paperback under the title Love Story Editor. Her manuscript for “Love Story Diary,” a Street & Smith tell-all was never published and is not extant. Bacon also kept diaries and dream journals, and their contents often alluded to her personal struggles and complicated relationships.

Esther and Daisy’s relationship was strained after they were let go from Street & Smith, but Esther moved in with Daisy after her husband Clarke’s death in 1962 and the two became close again. Both Daisy and Esther were cat lovers and were frequently photographed with their feline companions. Daisy Bacon died March 25, 1986 in Port Washington.

Researchers are highly encouraged to review Laurie Powers’s biography of Daisy Bacon titled Queen of the Pulps: The Reign of Daisy Bacon and Love Story Magazine (2019) as this biographical note is not intended to serve as a comprehensive account of Daisy Bacon’s life and career.