Lilian C. Garis , born Lilian C. McNamara (20 October 1873 – 19 April 1954) was an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

who wrote hundreds of books of juvenile fiction between around 1915 and the early 1940s. Prior to this, she was the first female reporter for the ''

Newark Evening News The ''Newark Evening News'' was an American newspaper published in Newark, New Jersey. As New Jersey's largest city, Newark played a major role in New Jersey's journalistic history. At its apex, ''The News'' was widely regarded as the newspaper ...

'' in New Jersey. Garis and her husband,

Howard R. Garis Howard Roger Garis ( – ) was an American author, best known for a series of books that featured the character of Uncle Wiggily Longears, an engaging elderly rabbit. Many of his books were illustrated by Lansing Campbell. Garis and his wife, Li ...

, were possibly the most prolific children's authors of the early 20th century.

Biography

Lilian McNamara was born in 1872 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents were Irish immigrants Edward and Winifred. Lillian wrote her own "Woman's Page" for a city paper as a teenager. She attended private schools including Dunkirk Union School. In 1893 her poem "Peace" was featured in the ''New Jersey Scrapbook of Women Writers'' created for the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

. At this point she uses an alternate name "Lillian Mack" and lives in Newark. Lilian was in charge of "Woman's Work" in the

from 1895 to 1900 and was known as "Miss Mack" or "Lilian Mack". Lillian was also a suffragette. Lilian met Howard Garis at the

and the couple married in 1899. In 1951, they moved from

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...

. They had two children

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

and Cleo. For the

Stratemeyer Syndicate The Stratemeyer Syndicate was a publishing company that produced a number of mystery book series for children, including Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others. They published and ...

Garis wrote under the pseudonym

Margaret Penrose Margaret Penrose was a house pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate as the author of three girls' book series published by Cupples & Leon. The name Margaret Penrose was used for: * The Dorothy Dale series – 1908 to 1924, 13 volumesJohn Axe ...

and

Laura Lee Hope Laura Lee Hope is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Bobbsey Twins and several other series of children's novels. Actual writers taking up the pen of Laura Lee Hope include Edward Stratemeyer, Howard and Lilian Garis Lilian C. ...

, with her works including some of the earliest books in the ''

Bobbsey Twins The Bobbsey Twins are the principal characters of what was, for 75 years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of American children's novels, written under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope. The first of 72 books was published in 1904, t ...

'' series as well as the

Dorothy Dale Dorothy Dale is a girls' book series written by Margaret Penrose, a pseudonym. The Stratemeyer Syndicate produced a total of thirteen of the series' books between the years 1908 and 1924. The books were published by Cupples & Leon. In the first ...

series. But Mrs. Garis also wrote some books under her own name. Lilian died April 19, 1954.

Bibliography of titles written under Garis' name

Let's Make Believe series

First published by R. F. Fenno; also by Donohue * Let's Make Believe We're Keeping House * Let's Play Circus * Let's Make Believe We're Soldiers

The Girl Scouts series

* The Girl Scout Pioneers * The Girl Scouts at Bellaire * The Girl Scouts at Sea Crest * The Girl Scouts at Camp Comalong * The Girl Scouts at Rocky Ledge

Nancy Brandon set

Originally printed by Milton Bradley. Then by Grosset & Dunlap and Whitman * Nancy Brandon, Enthusiast (Milton Bradley's original title; renamed Nancy Brandon by Grosset & Dunlap) * Nancy Brandon's Mystery

Barbara Hale set

* Barbara Hale (renamed Barbara Hale: A Doctor's Daughter) * Barbara Hale's Mystery Friend (renamed Barbara Hale: and Cozette)

Ted set

* A Girl Named Ted * Ted and Tony

Cleo set

* Cleo's Conquest * Cleo's Misty Rainbow

Connie Loring set

* Connie Loring's Dilemma (renamed later) * Connie Loring's Ambition (renamed later)

Judy Jordon set

* Judy Jordon * Judy Jordon's Discovery

Sally set

* Sally for Short * Sally Found Out

Gloria set

* Gloria at Boarding School * Gloria: A Girl and Her Dad

Joan set

* Joan: Just a Girl * Joan's Garden of Adventure

Melody Lane series

Two versions were printed of the first six books, one with cover art by Ruth King and one by

Pelagie Doane The Judy Bolton Mystery Series, written by Margaret Sutton, follows a realistic young woman who solves mysteries. Although the series was not quite as popular as Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton has been called a more complex and believable role model fo ...

(best known for her work on the

Judy Bolton The Judy Bolton Mystery Series, written by Margaret Sutton, follows a realistic young woman who solves mysteries. Although the series was not quite as popular as Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton has been called a more complex and believable role model f ...

series). The series follows Carol Duncan and her sister and friends as they solve mysteries around Melody Lane. The events they encounter are standard series book fare of the time-period; and are often criticized for their dated writing style and slow-moving plots. * ''The Ghost of Melody Lane'' (1933) * ''The Forbidden Trail'' (1933) * ''The Tower Secret'' (1934) * ''The Wild Warning'' (1934) * ''Terror at Moaning Cliff'' (1935) * ''The Dragon Of The Hills'' (1936) * ''The Mystery Of Stingman's Alley'' (1938) * ''The Secret of the Kashmir Shawl'' (1939) * ''The Hermit of Proud Hill'' (1940) * ''The Clue of the Crooked Key'' Listed as the next title in the series in "The Hermit of Proud Hill". Never published and unknown if this book was ever written.

References

External links

Information on Girls Series
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garis, Lilian 1873 births 1954 deaths American women journalists Writers from Newark, New Jersey