Edwin Balmer (July 26, 1883 – March 21, 1959) was an American science fiction and mystery writer.

He began as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune in 1903 before writing for books and magazines.

He would then commission young writers to write up these ideas for inclusion in Redbook.

Balmer also wrote several detective novels and collaborated with William MacHarg on The Achievements of Luther Trant (1910), an early collection of detective short stories.

Balmer also helped create (with artist Marvin Bradley) the syndicated comic strip Speed Spaulding, partially based on the Worlds Collide series, which ran from 1938 through 1941 in the comic book Famous Funnies.