In memory of Victoria Holt
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert, was a British author of about 200 historical novels, which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. As Victoria Holt, she was considered one of the supreme writers of the Gothic romance, a compelling storyteller whose gripping novels of the darker face of love have thrilled millions. As Jean Plaidy, she has won the accolade, "One of England's foremost historicals novelists." As Philippa Carr, she had earned acclaim for producing the bestselling family saga, "Daughters of England," a series which follows the fortunes of one English family from Tudor time to the present day. Prior to the birth of Victoria Holt (a name suggested by her agent) she had published over thirty books under the names of Eleanor Burtord, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, and Ellalice Tate. She began with publishers Mills and Boone and was for a time one of Harlequin's most popular authors. Beyond the Blue Mountain by Jean Plaidy was a 1951 selection.
In 1960, no one was writing or publishing novels of romantic suspense. But in that year, Victoria created a contemporary feeling for romance with the great Gothic tradition of brooding suspense. The Mistress of Meliyn became an immediate best-seller. By the time her fourth novel, The Legend of the Seventh Virgin, was published, the phrase "romantic suspense" had become part of the language and an important category of fiction in bookstores.
When she was relaxing, Victoria Holt, widow, enjoyed seeing friends, playing chess, and working needlepoint. She had taken numerous cruises-more than sixty-which provided wonderful solace for writing time. Eleanor Alice Burford died on January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt.
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Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert, was a British author of about 200 historical novels, which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. As Victoria Holt, she was considered one of the supreme writers of the Gothic romance, a compelling storyteller whose gripping novels of the darker face of love have thrilled millions. As Jean Plaidy, she has won the accolade, "One of England's foremost historicals novelists." As Philippa Carr, she had earned acclaim for producing the bestselling family saga, "Daughters of England," a series which follows the fortunes of one English family from Tudor time to the present day.