Cornell Woolrich (1903-1968) was an American author most famous for his crime fiction. He published his first book in 1926. His first six novels were considered Jazz Age novels in the style of F. Scott Fitzgerald. His crime novels written between 1940 and 1948 are considered his best works, including Waltz into Darkness, The Bride Wore Black and It Had to be Murder, many of which were later adapted into films by directors such as Hitchcock and Truffaut.