Edward Sidney Aarons (September 11, 1916 – June 16, 1975)[2] was an American writer who authored more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1975.
Aarons also wrote spy thrillers, including his "Assignment" series, which are set all over the world and have been translated into 17 languages.
Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University.
In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
In later editions, the publisher also used “Sam Durell” in the blurb immediately after the front cover - For example, Assignment Ceylon has “This is number thirty-six of the famed Sam Durell novels—one of the bestselling suspense series in the history of publishing.” One consistent element is that all of the story titles started with the word “Assignment.” The stories were written over a span of 28 years, from 1955 to 1983.