Ellen Price (17 January 1814 – 10 February 1887) was an English novelist better known as Mrs. Henry Wood. She is best remembered for her 1861 novel '' East Lynne''. Many of her books sold well internationally and were widely read in the United States. In her time, she surpassed Charles Dickens in fame in Australia.

Life

Ellen Price was born in Worcester in 1814. In 1836 she married Henry Wood, who worked in the banking and shipping trade in Dauphiné in the South of France, where they lived for 20 years. On the failure of Wood's business, the family (including four children) returned to England and settled in

Upper Norwood Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area. Upper Norwood is situated ...

near London, where Ellen Wood turned to writing. This supported the family. Henry Wood died in 1866. She wrote over 30 novels, many of which (especially ''East Lynne'') enjoyed remarkable popularity. Among the best known are ''Danesbury House'', ''Oswald Cray'', ''Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles'', ''

The Channings ''The Channings'' is a 1920 British silent crime film directed by Edwin J. Collins and starring Lionelle Howard, Dick Webb and Dorothy Moody. It was based on the 1862 novel '' The Channings'' by Ellen Wood. Cast * Lionelle Howard ... Art ...

'', ''Lord Oakburn's Daughters'' and ''The Shadow of Ashlydyat''. Her writing tone would be described as "conservative and Christian," occasionally expressing religious rhetoric. In 1867, Wood purchased the English magazine ''Argosy'', which had been founded by Alexander Strahan in 1865. She wrote much of the magazine herself, but other contributors included Hesba Stretton,

Julia Kavanagh Julia Kavanagh (7 January 1824 – 28 October 1877) was an Irish novelist, born at Thurles in Tipperary, Ireland—then part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Her numerous contributions to literature have classified her as one ...

, Christina Rossetti, Sarah Doudney and Rosa Nouchette Carey. Wood continued as its editor until her death in 1887, when her son Charles Wood took over.; ODNB entry
oxforddnb.com
Retrieved 31 May 2011. Wood's works were translated into many languages, including French and Russian. Leo Tolstoy, in a 9 March 1872 letter to his older brother Sergei, noted that he was "reading Mrs. Wood's wonderful novel ''In the Maze''". Wood wrote several works of supernatural fiction, including "The Ghost" (1867) and the oft-anthologized "Reality or Delusion?" (1868). At her death caused by bronchitis, Wood's estate was valued at over £36,000, which was then a considerable sum. She was buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. A monument to her was unveiled in Worcester Cathedral in 1916.

Works

These are the first published UK editions as catalogued by the British Library, with supplementary information from a specialist booksellers' catalogue.''Women Writers R–Z'' (London: Jarndyce, 2012)

References

External links

* * *
Works by Mrs. Henry Wood
at Hathi Trust * *
Mrs. Henry Wood website
*
''Mrs Henry Wood Bibliography Of Contributions To Periodicals''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Ellen 1887 deaths 1814 births Victorian novelists Victorian women writers 19th-century British novelists Writers from Worcester, England English Christians English women novelists English horror writers Ghost story writers Burials at Highgate Cemetery Deaths from bronchitis Women horror writers 19th-century English women writers British magazine editors Women magazine editors

Life

Works

References

Further reading

External links