Alice Muriel Williamson (8 October 1858 – 24 September 1933), who published chiefly under names the "C. N. and A. M. Williamson" and "Mrs. C. N. Williamson," was an American-English author.

Biography

She was born 8 October 1858 to parents Marcus and Jane (Thomas) King in Cleveland, Ohio, where her father was co-founder of the Ohio State and Union Law College. In 1890 she adopted the surname "Livingston" from her maternal great grandfather following separation from her first husband, Lieutenant William Reeve Hamilton, who disapproved of her budding career as an actress. In 1892 she expatriated herself to England (and from her first husband) as foreign correspondent for the ''

Boston Evening Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. Beginnings ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...

'', supplying that paper with approximately 120 "letters" between 1892 and 1897 before devoting herself full-time to fiction, although she remained an occasional freelance journalist for the rest of her life. Two years after arriving in England she married magazine editor

Charles Norris Williamson Charles Norris (C N) Williamson (1859–1920) was a British writer, motoring journalist and founder of the ''Black and White (magazine), Black and White'' who was perhaps best known for his collaboration with his wife, Alice Muriel Williamson, ...

(1857–1920) whom she persuaded to appear as co-author for many of her books, later acknowledging her sole authorship. Her success as an author, in its early stages, was owing to

Alfred Harmsworth Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe (15 July 1865 – 14 August 1922), was a British newspaper and publishing magnate. As owner of the ''Daily Mail'' and the ''Daily Mirror'', he was an early developer of popular journal ...

who, recognizing her talent, promoted her stories – especially sensational serials – in the '' Daily Mail'' and his many other publications. Her first serial, "Confessions of a Stage-Struck Girl," appeared in ''

Forget-Me-Not ''Myosotis'' ( ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. The name comes from the Ancient Greek "mouse's ear", which the foliage is thought to resemble. In the northern hemisphere they are colloquially known as forget-me-no ...

'' (August 11-November 17, 1894), partly inspired by her earlier career as an actress in America, as was her first novel, ''The Barnstormers'' (1897), written at the suggestion of

S. R. Crockett Samuel Rutherford Crockett (24 September 1859 – 16 April 1914), who published under the name "S. R. Crockett", was a Scottish novelist. Life and work He was born at Little Duchrae, Balmaghie, Kirkcudbrightshire, Galloway on 24 September 18 ...

upon hearing her describe some of her theatrical experiences at a dinner party. Her second novel, ''A Woman in Grey'' (1898), established her reputation as a worthy successor to

Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist and playwright known especially for '' The Woman in White'' (1859), a mystery novel and early "sensation novel", and for '' The Moonstone'' (1868), which has b ...

. A third, ''The Newspaper Girl'' (1899), exploited

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...

's "stunt" journalism, turning some of the same stratagems to humorous effect. Humor would become one of her most striking characteristics as an author, beginning with ''The Lightning Conductor'' (1902), the novel that catapulted her overnight to international fame, selling more than a million copies in America. James Milne, in ''Memoirs of a Bookman'' (1934), speaks of a "tradition" that she was "the wittiest girl who ever invaded Fleet Street." Although best known for her series of motor travel romances, she was a literary polymath adept at a wide variety of genres (detective, mystery, Gothic, spy, adventure, war, ghost, fairy, satire, fictional memoir, muckraking, etc.), often published anonymously or pseudonymously, such as ''Champion: The Story of a Motor Car'' (1907) as by John Colin Dane (memoirs narrated by the car itself), and her sensational exposé of German war plans on the eve of World War I, ''What I Found Out in the House of a German Prince'' (1915), purporting to be "by an American-English Governess," the latter so realistic that it was accepted as a true account and published serially in the ''Fortnightly Review.'' She died 24 September 1933 under strange circumstances at Bath, where her remains are interred next to those of her husband in the graveyard behind Bath Abbey.

Works

* The Barnstomers: Being the Tragical Side of a Comedy'' (1897) * Berry Goes to Monte Carlo (1921) * The Botor Chaperon (1907); and (sl)

Grand Magazine ''The Grand Magazine'' was the first British pulp magazine. It was published monthly between February 1905 and April 1940. Published by George Newnes Ltd, it initially emulated Newnes's highly successful '' Strand Magazine'', featuring a mix of ...

August 1906-March 1907 * The Car of Destiny (1907) * The Career of Joan Carthew (aka The Girl Who Had Nothing) - serialised in the

Windsor Magazine ''The Windsor Magazine'' was a monthly illustrated publication produced by Ward Lock & Co from January 1895 to September 1939 (537 issues). The title page described it as "An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women". It was bound as six-monthly ...

December 1903 to May 1904 * The Case of Ann Arthur, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly March 1930 * The Castle of Shadows (1909) * Champion: The Story of a Motor Car (1907) with illustrations by Walter Ernest Webster * The Chauffeur and the Chaperon (1908); and (sl) The Delineator July 1906-August 1907 * The Darkened Room, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly April 1933 * The Diamond Code, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly March 1932 * The Door Between, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly December 1932 * Duchess, Behave!, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly June 1929 (with Sydney Arundel) * The Eccentricity of Fleetwood, (ss) Strand Magazine (UK) July 1901, (US) August 1901 * The Flower Forbidden, (sl) Smith's Magazine April–June 1911 * The Girl with One Dress, (sl) Motion Picture Magazine April–September 1927 * The Golden Silence (1910) * The Heather Moon (1912) * The Hidden House, (sl) Cavalier 1913–1914 (as Alice Stuyvesant) * Honeymoon Hate, (nv) The Saturday Evening Post, July 9–16, 1927 * The House by the Lock (1899) * The House of Silence (1921); and (nv) Five-Novels Monthly December 1931 * The Inky Way (1931) * It Happened in Egypt (1914) * Lady Betty Across the Water (1906) * Lady Betty Crosses the Ocean, (sl), Ladies Home Journal October 1905-April 1906 * The Lady in Gray, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly September 1932 * The Lightning Conductor (1902) * The Lightning Conductress (1916) * The Lightning Conductor Comes Back (1933) * The Lion’s Mouse, (sl) Munsey’s February–August 1918 * Lord John, (ss) Argosy (UK) July 1933 * The Love Pirate (1913) * The Love Trees, (ss) Munsey’s December 1915 * The Man from Joliet, (nv) Short Stories August 1915 * The Motor Maid (1909) * The Murder House, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly October 1932 * My Lady Cinderella (1906) * Passport, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly September 1930 * The Port of Adventure (1913) * The Princess Passes, (sl) Metropolitan Magazine July 1904-April 1905 * The Princess Virginia, (sl) Ladies Home Journal August 1906-January 1907 * Publicity for Anne (1926); and (sl) Charm, November 1925-January 1926 * A Real English Christmas with Lady Betty, (ss) Ladies Home Journal December 1906 * The Red Pen Murder, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly January 1931 * Rosemary, A Christmas Story (1906) * The Scarlet Runner (May 1908) - serialised in the Strand Magazine December 1906 to November 1907 * The Sea Could Tell (1904); and (nv) Five-Novels Monthly October 1929 * The Second Latchkey (1920) * Secret Gold (1925); and (sl) Country Gentleman September 20-November 8, 1924 * Set in Silver (1909) * The Shop-Girl (1916); and (nv) Munsey’s July 1914 * The Silent Battle (1902) * This Woman to This Man (1917); and (sl) All-Story Weekly April 15-May 20, 1916 * Tiger Ride, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly June 1931 * The Truth About Tanita, (nv) Five-Novels Monthly September 1931 * The Underground Syndicate, (1911); and (nv) Five-Novels Monthly July 1932 * The War Wedding (1916) * What’s in a Name?, (ss) The New Passing Show, May 14, 1932 * A Woman in Gray (1898) * A Woman Tried to Steal My Husband, (ar) ''Cosmopolitan'', October 1925 * The Woman Who Dared (1903)

Translations

Her

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

''A Woman in Grey'' (1898) was translated and adapted into

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

by Kuroiwa Ruiko (黒岩涙香) under the title ''Yūrei tō'' (幽霊塔; Ghost Tower) in 1901, and it was adapted by

Edogawa Rampo , better known by the pen name was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery and thriller fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogoro Akechi, who in later books was the lea ...

(江戸川乱歩) in 1937–1938. Translations of her novels and newspaper serials appeared throughout Europe, particularly in France, Holland and Switzerland.

Filmography

*''

The Lightning Conductor ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1914) *''

The House of the Lost Court ''The House of the Lost Court'' is a 1915 American drama silent film directed by Charles Brabin and written by A.M. Williamson. The film stars Robert Conness, Duncan McRae, Helen Strickland, Sally Crute, Viola Dana and Margery Bonney. The film w ...

'' (1915) *''

Lord John in New York ''Lord John in New York'' is a 1915 American silent mystery film directed by Edward J. Le Saint based on a story by C.N. and A.M. Williamson. Starring William Garwood in the lead role, it was the first film in the five film series of '' Lord ...

'' (1915) *''

The Grey Sisterhood ''The Grey Sisterhood'' is a 1916 American silent short mystery directed by Edward LeSaint. Starring William Garwood in the lead role, it was the second film in the five film series '' Lord John's Journal''. Cast *William Garwood as Lord Jo ...

'' (1916, short) *''

Lord Loveland Discovers America ''Lord Loveland Discovers America'' is a 1916 silent movie that was made by the American Film Manufacturing Company at their Flying "A" Studios in Santa Barbara, California. The movie is based on a 1910 best-selling novel by Charles and Alice ...

'' (1916) *''

Three Fingered Jenny ''Three Fingered Jenny'' is a 1916 American silent short mystery directed by Edward LeSaint written by Harvey Gates. Starring William Garwood in the lead role, it was the third film in the five film series of '' Lord John's Journal''. Cast ...

'' (1916, short) *''The Eye of Horus'' (1916, short) *''

The League of the Future ''The League of the Future'' is a 1916 American silent short directed by Edward J. Le Saint. Starring William Garwood in the lead role, it is the fifth in the five film series '' Lord John's Journal''. Cast *William Garwood as Lord John *Mal ...

'' (1916, short) *' (1916) *''

The Scarlet Runner ''The Scarlet Runner'' is a 1916 American drama film serial directed by William P. S. Earle and Wally Van. The film is considered lost. Plot A series of 12 two-reel episodes, each a separate story related to the adventures of Christopher Race ...

'' (1916, serial) *' (1916) *''

The Life Mask ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1918) *'' The Demon'' (1918) *' (1920, serial) *''

Passion's Playground ''Passion's Playground'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by and starring Katherine MacDonald. Rudolph Valentino has a featured part in the film billed as Rudolph Valentine. The film is based on the novel ''The Guests of Hercules'' ...

'' (1920) *''

My Lady's Latchkey ''My Lady's Latchkey'' is a lost 1921 American mystery film directed by Edwin Carewe and written by Finis Fox. It is based on the 1920 novel ''The Second Latchkey'' by Charles Norris Williamson and Alice Muriel Williamson. The film stars Katheri ...

'' (1921) *'' The Lion's Mouse'' (UK, 1923) *'' My Friend the Chauffeur'' (Germany, 1926) *''

Honeymoon Hate ''Honeymoon Hate'' is a lost film, lost 1927 American silent film, silent romantic comedy film directed by Luther Reed and written by Doris Anderson, Ethel Doherty, Herman J. Mankiewicz, George Marion Jr., and Alice Muriel Williamson, A.M. Willi ...

'' (1927) *''

The Man Without a Face ''The Man Without a Face'' is a 1993 American Drama (film and television), drama film starring and directed by Mel Gibson, in his directorial debut. The film is based on Isabelle Holland's 1972 novel of the same name. Gibson's direction received ...

'' (1928, serial) *'' El príncipe gondolero'' (Spanish language, 1931) *''

Yūrei tō are figures in Japanese folklore analogous to the Western model of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, (''yū''), meaning "faint" or "dim" and (''rei''), meaning "soul" or "spirit". Alternative names include , meaning ruined or depart ...

'' (Japan, 1948)

Notes

External links