Willard Fiske was a 19th-century American author known for his historical novels and biographies. His works are characterized by vivid narratives and profound characterizations, which have won him a wide readership.
Source: The book of the first American chess congress: containing the proceedings of that celebrated assemblage, with the papers read in its sessions, the games played in the grand tournament, and the stratagems entered in the problem tournay ; together with sketches of the history of chess in the old and new worlds