In 1918 she moved to New York City, changed her name to Elwyth Thane, and began working as a freelance writer. Her first novel was published in 1926, and several of her books (including The Tudor Wench, about Queen Elizabeth I) were made into plays.

In 1927, she married 50-year-old naturalist and explorer William Beebe, who was curator of ornithology for the New York Zoological Society and one of the developers of the bathysphere diving vessel. Their wedding was held on a friend’s yacht, and they sailed the seas on an extended honeymoon. Their New York apartment featured his-and-hers libraries.

In nearly fifty years as a writer, Elswyth Thane wrote more than 30 novels, plays, and non-fiction works. Though for many years her writing was dominated by English settings, during World War II she could no longer do extensive research in England, and she began writing about American characters and locations. Her best-known books are the Williamsburg series, seven historical novels which follow several generations of an American family from the American Revolution to World War II.

Her last book, Fighting Quaker: Nathaniel Green, was published in 1972. At her death in 1984, she left many of her papers, including first drafts, to the University of Iowa. The collection is available in the Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa Libraries.

About the Editor

Leigh Michaels ( http://www.leighmichaels.com ) is the author of more than 100 books, including historical romance novels, contemporary romance novels, non-fiction and local history.

Her books have been published in 25 languages and 120 countries with 35 million books in print. She is a six-time finalist for the RITA award for best romance novel, awarded by the Romance Writers of America (RWA).

She is the author of Writing the Romance Novel, the definitive guide to writing romance novels (previously published by Writers Digest Books under the title On Writing Romance.)

She teaches writing online at Gotham Writers Workshop (www.writingclasses.com) and at seminars across the country, and does a limited amount of manuscript critiquing.

She was the 2003 recipient of the Johnson Brigham award given by the Iowa Library Association to an Iowa author for outstanding contribution to American literature. Her papers, including first drafts, foreign-language editions, and other various publications, are available in the Iowa Authors Collection of the University of Iowa Libraries.