He is chiefly remembered for his three self-illustrated books, which included a number of classic fantasy short stories.
[1][2] His mother was the daughter of James Bradshaw, Presbyterian minister and President of the College for girls In Covington.
[6] He was employed for a time by the New York firm of McKim, Meade & White,[3][7] "playing a part in the work of decoration of the General Post Office.
[4] Later, however, he claimed to be a veteran of the World War,[8] possibly on the strength of designing camouflage for New York harbor during the conflict.
By 1922, at which point he had already published several stories, he had "given up his architectural work in order to devote his time to writing and drawing.
[3] The book was reasonably well-received, particularly by James Branch Cabell, who wrote the introduction, "A Note for the Intending Reader.".
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 ..."[13] Mike Ashley in The Encyclopedia of Fantasy called Corley's stories "exotic fantasy ... affect[ing] a flamboyant style, especially those with Arabian or oriental settings.