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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: On Night of 7th Moon

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  • Cover of: The India fan
    Cover of edition indiafan0000holt Cover of edition indiafan00holt_1 Cover of edition indyjskiwachlarz0000holt First published in 1985 29 editions

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  • Cover of: The mask of the enchantress

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  • Cover of: The demon lover
    Cover of edition demonlover00holt Cover of edition demonloverholt00holt Cover of edition demonloverhol00holt First published in 1982 28 editions

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  • Cover of: Saraband for two sisters
    Cover of edition sarabandfortwosi00carr First published in 1976 27 editions

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  • Cover of: The sixth wife

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  • Cover of: The captive
    Cover of edition captive0000holt Cover of edition siliconvalleyfev00roge Cover of edition captive0000holt_p3n5 Cover of edition captiveholt00holt Cover of edition captive00hibb First published in 1989 25 editions

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  • Cover of: Secret for a nightingale

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  • Cover of: Madame Serpent
    Cover of edition madameserpent0000plai Cover of edition madameserpent00plai Cover of edition madameserpent0000jean Cover of edition madameserpentcat0000plai Cover of edition madameserpent0000plai_q0s8 First published in 1951 24 editions

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  • Cover of: The Landower legacy

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  • Cover of: Gay Lord Robert
    Cover of edition lordrobert0000plai Cover of edition gaylordrobert0000plai Cover of edition gaylordrobert00plai Cover of edition lordrobert0000plai_i6x8 Cover of edition favoriteofqueens0000plai First published in 1955 23 editions

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  • Cover of: The captive Queen of Scots

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  • Cover of: The miracle at St Bruno's

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  • Cover of: The spring of the tiger

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  • Cover of: Snare of serpents

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  • Cover of: The goldsmith's wife
    Cover of edition goldsmithswife0000plai_o0p2 Cover of edition goldsmithswife0000plai Cover of edition goldsmithswife0000unse_u1c6 First published in 1950 22 editions

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  • Cover of: The Italian woman

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  • Cover of: The silk vendetta
    Cover of edition silkvendetta00holt First published in 1824 21 editions

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  • Cover of: Murder most royal

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  • Cover of: Katharine, the virgin widow

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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
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user initial import