Fred Merrick White (1859–1935) Fred Merrick White wrote a number of novels and short stories under the name "Fred M. White" including the six "Doom of London"
science-fiction stories, in which various catastrophes beset London. These include The Four Days' Night (1903), in which London
is beset by a massive killer smog; The Dust of Death (1903), in which diphtheria infects the city, spreading from refuse tips and
sewers; and The Four White Days (1903), in which a sudden and deep winter paralyses the city under snow and ice.
These six stories all first appeared in Pearson's Magazine, and were illustrated by Warwick Goble. He was also a pioneer
of the spy story, and in 2003, his series The Romance of the Secret Service Fund (written in 1899) was edited by
Douglas G. Greene and published by Battered Silicon Dispatch Box.
