The number of Australian authors who could live on the proceeds of current over seas sales of their books is limited indeed. And going back forty odd years for an Australian to have had a book published overseas was a singular achievement. One of those to accomplish this feat was ERLE COX, a Melbourne journalist, regrettably forgotten by the bulk of the older members of the reading public and unknown to the younger generation of readers. However, on the strength of just one of his works, Cox will always be remembered by one section of the community the oft‑maligned readers of the brand of literature known as Science Fiction. In the United States, as in Australia, Cox's OUT OF THE SILENCE is still regarded as a classic SF novel and it's been out of print for more than twenty years!

Erle Cox was born at Emerald Hill, Victoria, an August 15th, 1873, the second son of Ross Cox, who had emigrated from his native Dublin as a youth during the early goldrush days of the 1850s. Ross Cox joined the Victorian Public Service and one of his first appointments was as clerk to Deputy Commissioner Horne (an associate of the poet Robert Browning, on the Waranga gold-;field. Ultimately Ross Cox became a senior officer in the Victorian Education Department, and was himself a prolific contributor of articles and short stories to two Melbourne newspapers, THE ARGUS and THE AGE. Unfortunately, very little of his work app eared under his own name (one penname he used was "M" or "N"), making it very difficult to trace these items, some of which are reported to be strikingly prophetic examples of Science Fiction. The stories published before the turn of century include THE OSMOSCOPE, A NINETEENTH CENTURY PARADISE, THE TELECASTRO-GRAPH, and A WONDERFUL SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. One of these early stories deals with the arrival in Australia of a ship with a system of propulsion requiring no coal or wood, and which had no conventional furnace.

Erle Cox's grandfather and uncle were also writers, and the former, also named Ross Cox, won literary distinction in 1820 by the publication of an account of exploration along the Columbia River in North America. A two volume second edition of this work, published in London in 1832, is available at the Victorian Public Library.

Educated at Castlemaine Grammar School and Melbourne Grammar School, Erle Cox's first occupation was as a grower of wine-grapes in the Rutherglen area. This didn't appeal however, so he returned to Melbourne to the first of a variety of commercial ventures which were to occupy him beyond the first half of his life.

According to his son, Cox began writing early, and had produced a sizeable number of short stories before the First World War. Research to date has located only three published preWar items, all in the now-defunct Australian magazine THE LONE HAND. In 1908, that magazine offered a prize for the best short story by an Australian. There were more than 600 entrants, and the judges were unable to reach a decision, so the prize was divided between three writers ErleCox was one of them. The known Cox stories which appeared in THE LONE HAND are REPRIEVE (about the dilemma of a man fast going blind with the chance of an. operation which will either cure him or blind him immediately), DIPLOMACY (how a businessman plays incognito cupid to his daughter and an employee) and THE SOCIAL CODE (which tells of a love affair conducted by telescope between an Australian astronomer and a Martian woman).In 1940, the New Century Press of Sydney published SOME STORIES an anthology of stories taken from the pages of THE LONE HAND. THE SOCIAL CODE and DIPLOMACY were included therein exact details are not known at this time.

On December 24th, 1901, Erle Cox married Mary Ellen Kilborn of Wahgunyah, Vic toria. In 1916, with his wife and three children (Erle Harold, Mary Foord and Kathleen) to support, Cox began regular, though part time work as a contributor to the PASSING SHOW column in THE ARGUS. This feature appeared under the by-line THE ORIEL, but was in fact the combined efforts of a number of writers; consequently, it is not possible to attribute to Cox any particular item which appeared therein.

Then, in 1921, Cox joined the editorial staff of THE ARGUS as a writer of special articles and book reviewer; later, in spite of his protests, he was drafted as their principle movie critic. For much of his writing for THE ARGUS and associated publications. Cox used the byline THE CHIEL, and he gained a wide fan following under both his real name and his by-line. It was a common occurrence (particularly during the 1940s) to see Cox's book review/s for the week on the page facing SCREEN NOTES BY THE CHIEL. He continued his review work for THE ARGUS until 1946, then joined the staff of THE AGE, taking his CHIEL byline with him. Had Cox not written OUT OF THE SILENCE, without doubt, his greatest claim to fame would be that he was THE CHIEL.

Although the idea for OUT OF THE SILENCE had been complete in his mind for some time, it wasn't until 1913 that Cox began its committal to paper, writing two chapters the first day, half a chapter the next day, then leaving it untouched for three months. About three years of such intermittent effort saw the 700 page manuscript completed. Cox stated: "... had I not been urged on by a higher domestic authority, I doubt whether it would ever have been finished." (The dedication for Silence reads TO MY WIFE.)

The manuscript was submitted to a publishing house with the demanded 31/6d. reader's fee; the read er's report was that the story was no good, but the getup of the manuscript was excellent! So SILENCE lay fallow for another three years before Cox submitted it to THE ARGUS for publication. It was accepted almost immediately and was published in weekly instalments over a six month period in 1919. The serialization was not in any way illustrated.

The interest that SILENCE aroused was sufficient to have the story sent to some publishers in London, but their enthusiasm to publish it was way out of respect able proportion to their offers of payment. Cox is quoted: "Some of my letters in answer to their offers, I fear,  lacked courtesy, but if they were couched in untrammelled English, they were truthful and entirely free from ambiguity".

So SILENCE gathered dust for another six years, written off as a wasted endevour. However, a steady stream of demands for a book version of the story continued to come in, not only from Australians, but from people overseas as well. And they were coming as frequently in 1925 as they had in 1919, so Cox decided to publish it in Australia. The first edition was from EDWARD A. VIDLER of Melbourne in 1925, with a wrap-around dust-jacket illustration by Christian Yandell. The same year, JOHN HAMILTON LTD. of London published a British edition, and in 1928, the RAE D. HENKLE CO. of New York brought out the American edition.

Some of the American newspaper reviews of SILENCE refer to a translation of the story being acclaimed by the French public, but the existence of this version has still to be verified. Also, a Russian translation has been cited on occasions, but this too remains unconfirmed.

In 1932, ROBERTSON & MULLENS published a new Australian edition which differed from the VIDLER printing in that it contained a one page "Author's Note to the Fourth Edition" dated June, 1932 (presumably the VIDLER, HAMILTON and HENKLE editions were counted as 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions respectively). In the "Author's Note", Cox tells of a fellow train traveller with whom he struck up a conversation. This fellow was reading the serialization of SILENCE in THE ARGUS and, without knowing Cox's identity, asked if he too was reading the story. "Why?" Cox parried, expectantly and came the reply, "I think the  &%$#%! who wrote it ought to be prosecuted."

Then, in 1934, SILENCE broke fresh ground when it was adapted to comic‑strip format by an artist identified only as HIX. This pictorial version was published daily in THE ARGUS in 120 episodes between August and December. Again, in 1934, a new medium SILENCE was dramatised for radio presentation. 3DB, a Melbourne radio station, broadcast the story as a 25 part serial each Wednesday afternoon at 3.30 from April 7th to September 22nd. The cast included John Saul as Alan Dundas, Honor Sim as Earani, Edward Howell as Dr. Berry, with Rita Pauncefort, Thelma Scott, Philip Lewis, Harold Meade and Nigel Lovell in supporting roles.

The final publication of SILENCE was in 1947 when ROBERTSON & MULLENS brought out a further edition, minus the dedication, but including a sixteen page prolog. This had been written by Cox at the insistence of the ROBERTSON & MULLENS management, who apparently felt that the prologue was warranted. But, it adds little to the story proper, and is best left unread at least until you finish reading the story. If anything, the prologue tends to spoil the impact of events which unfold before the reader.

Many of the reviews of OUT OF THE SILENCE, both local and overseas, favourably compare the story with the writings of Jules Verne, Rider Haggard, Edger Rice Burroughs and H. G. Wells. As with all of Cox's fiction, SILENCE is set in Australia, and involves the discovery of a gigantic, buried sphere, containing the accumulated knowledge of a past civilization. Also within the sphere lies a beautiful woman Earani in a state of suspended animation. How Alan Dundee gains access and eventually wins through to the temple where Earani lies, is enthralling stuff. With the aid of his close friend, Or. Richard Berry, Dundee restores Earani to life, and she tells them of the duties she must perform. She is a super-woman, with powers beyond all men and women living and she is bound to a pledge which will have far-reaching effects that. But no, it is left for you to discover the outcome. Suffice to say that SILENCE is sheer entertainment, and well worth the reading, be you SF fans or otherwise...

In addition to his normal newspaper work in the 1920s, Cox had a number of short stories published in the weekly tabloid THE AUSTRALASIAN. Of those unearthed so far, most are humorous pieces, with some having overtones of Science Fiction. Four in particular recount the misadventures of one Major Mendax and his scientific experiments; they are THE GREAT MENDAX TRANSMITTER, THE INVISIBILITY OF MENDAX, THE MENDAX GOLDSAVER and THE REJUVENATION OF SLOGGER BINNS. Another short story (entitled WHICH?) published in 1924 features Dr. Barry and other characters from SILENCE.

Cox's daughter, Mrs Kathleen Jenkins, advises that her father wrote a quantity of poetry during the course of his literary career, but none of this has been yet located perhaps more accurate, none has been definitely identified. In the 1920s and 1930s, a number of short poems appeared in the pages of THE AUSTRALASIAN carrying the credit "BY E.C." they bear such titles as EPITAPH, THE PILGRIM, FUTILITY and 'CELLO. Whether they are In fact the work of Cox remains to be proved.

It wasn't until 1938 that Cox had his second, book-length story published. At that time, THE ARGUS management was concerned at the apathy within Australia to the possibility of invasion, so Cox was seconded from all other duties to prepare FOOLS' HARVEST. During the two months in which he wrote the story, Cox travelled over most of the territory in which the story is set, and was fortunate enough to have Sir Thomas Blamey as his consultant on his tactical and strategic thinking.

FOOLS' HARVEST appeared as a fourteen part serial in THE ARGUS in November, 1938 and was published in book form the following year (with two extra chapters) in both hard-cover and paperback editions. The story foreshadowed the fall just a couple of years later of Singapore and the Southward surge of the enemy. If it hadn't been for the bombing of Pearl Harbour, which brought the U.S. into the Pacific War, it's possible that the preview given by FOOLS' HARVEST of invasion and occupation, of labour camps, underground resistance, of ultimate futility might have become a grim and terrible reality.

The story is presented in the form of a manuscript written by a Walter Burton, who witnesses the destruction of Sydney and Melbourne, and the horrible aftermath. It is a frightening story, but it's only a story    a work of fiction    and it does hinge an conditions as they were 30 years ago. There is surely no need for us to worry about such things nowadays?

The third and final book which Cox had published was THE MISSING ANGEL, also handled by ROBERTSON & MULLENS. It was never serialised prior to its book appearance in 1947, and as far as is known has not been reprinted. The story is a humourous piece about a Melbourne businessman, Tydvil Jones, who mortgages his soul to the devil in exchange for the opportunity to "have a ball" and make up for his rather austere early life. A series of incidents involving switched identities, mistaken identities, and assumed identities keep the tale rollicking along, and the scene featuring multiple Basil Williamses is a real gem. The dedication for THE MISSING ANGEL was to Cox's three children (to MOLL, KATH & HAROLD) although they were no longer children when the book was published.

Throughout his journalistic career, Cox was a avid reader, and accumulated a sizeable collection of the literature and memoirs of 17th and 18th Century Britain and France. Fishing was another interest, when time permitted. Cox lived for many years in St. George's Rd., Elsternwick, and it was at his home there that he died on November 20th, 1950 after a long illness.

During the course of preparing this article, it has been my good fortune to have the cooperation and reminiscences of a number of people who knew ErleCox personally. From their comments, recollections and anecdotes, which have been many and varied, an overall impression forms.Cox, was not just a good journalist and a good storyteller Erle Cox was a good man.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: No Australian edition of any of Cox's stories has had interior illustrations. As far as is known, all Australian editions of OUT OF THE SILENCE have used the Yandel illustration for the dust-jackets. It is almost certain that a paperback edition of SILENCE was published by ROBERTSON & MULLENS in 1932 concurrent with their hardcover edition; like the rumoured French and Russian translations of the story, this remains to be confirmed. It is probable that the SILENCE comic strip was printed in other newspapers interstate, but details are not known. Similarly, the radio serial was probably rebroadcast interstate, or on country stations, and it may have been used by 3DB again in the late 1940s or early 1950s.