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Last edited by raybb
January 13, 2025 | History

Victoria Holt

Eleanor Alice Burford was born on September 01, 1906 in Kensington, London. Her father, Joseph Burford, was something of an odd-job man, with no steady profession, but he quickly passed on his great love of books to his young daughter. She was an avid reader from the age of four onwards. In her early twenties, she married a leather merchant, George Percival Hibbert, who shared her love of books and reading.

Eleanor Burford was one of the preeminent English authors of historical fiction for most of the twentieth century. She used eight pennames during her career and many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities. In 1941, she began signing her novels with her maiden name: Eleanor Burford, later she created her first and most prolific pseudonym: Jean Plaidy. In the 1950's she used the pseudonyms: Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. In 1960, she created the pseudonyms: Anna Percival and the popular Victoria Holt. In 1972, she created her last pseudonym Philippa Carr. (Some of her novels were reedited as different pseudonyms)

She died on January 18, 1993 at sea, somewhere between Greece and Port Said, Egypt. By the time of her death, the novels of Jean Plaidy had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. Her last novel The Black Opal as Victoria Holt was published posthumously, under this pseudonym, she sold 56 millon copies and as Phillipa Carr, 3 million.

English novelist (1906–1993)

Born 1906-09-01
Died 1993-01-18

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  • Cover of: Mistress of Mellyn

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  • Cover of: The shivering sands

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  • Cover of: Menfreya
    Cover of edition menfreya0000holt Cover of edition menfreyainmornin00holt_0 Cover of edition menfreyainmornin00holt Cover of edition lamagiadelosmenf0000elea First published in 1966 41 editions

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  • Cover of: The Secret Woman

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  • Cover of: The House of a Thousand Lanterns

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  • Cover of: St. Thomas's eve
    Cover of edition stthomasseve00plai Cover of edition saintthomasseve0000plai_b5u0 Cover of edition saintthomasseve0000plai Cover of edition kingsconfidantes0000plai First published in 1950 38 editions

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  • Cover of: The queen's confession

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  • Cover of: The shadow of the Lynx.

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  • Cover of: Bride of Pendorric
    Cover of edition isbn_9781615233007 Cover of edition brideofpendorri000holt Cover of edition brideofpendorric0000vict First published in 1963 36 editions

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  • Cover of: The king of the castle

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  • Cover of: The legend of the seventh virgin

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  • Cover of: Kirkland Revels

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  • Cover of: The Devil on horseback

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  • Cover of: Lord of Far Island

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  • Cover of: My enemy the Queen

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  • Cover of: Curse of the Kings

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  • Cover of: The pride of the peacock

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  • Cover of: The Judas kiss
    Cover of edition judaskiss0000holt Cover of edition judaskiss0000holt_i2c8 Cover of edition judaskiss00holt Cover of edition judaskiss0000holt_v6t6 First published in 1750 30 editions

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  • Cover of: The road to Paradise Island

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  • Cover of: The time of the hunter's moon

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English novelist (1906–1993)

Born 1906-09-01
Died 1993-01-18

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January 13, 2025 Edited by raybb Edited without comment.
June 18, 2024 Edited by CGN Edited without comment.
July 13, 2023 Edited by bitnapper merge authors
July 12, 2023 Edited by bitnapper merge authors
January 4, 2011 Edited by Angela myung merge authors