Lily Adams Beck, née Elizabeth Louisa Moresby (1862 in Queenstown, Cork,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

– 3 January 1931 in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, Japan) was a British writer of short-stories, novels, biographies and esoteric books, under the names of L. Adams Beck, E. Barrington and Louis Moresby, and sometimes other variations: Lily Adams Beck, Elizabeth Louisa Beck, Eliza Louisa Moresby Beck and Lily Moresby AdamsHistory For Sale
brief but seemingly good biography of Lily Adams Beck.

Biography

Elizabeth Louisa "Lily" Moresby was born on 1862 in Queenstown, Cork,

, UK, the second child of Irish Jane Willis (Scott) and English

John Moresby Rear Admiral John Moresby (15 March 1830 – 12 July 1922) was a British naval officer who explored the coast of New Guinea and was the first European to discover the site of Port Moresby. Life and career Moresby was born in Allerford, Somerset ...

, a Royal Navy Captain who explored the coast of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and was the first European to visit the site of

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

, and granddaughter of

Fairfax Moresby Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby GCB (29 November 1786 – 21 January 1877) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he took part in the unsuccessful expedition to capture Ferrol in Spain during the French Revolutionary Wars. He ...

.Clara Thomas, ''Canadian Novelists 1920-1945'', Longmans, Green and Company, Toronto, 1946 p. 10-11 She had an elder brother Walter Halliday (9 November 1861 – 24 April 1951), and four younger sisters Ethel Fortescue (1865 - ?), Georgina (23 July 1867 - ?), Hilda Fairfax (16 December 1868 – 16 August 1893) and Gladys Moresby (5 April 1870 - ?). While there is some degree of uncertainty about her birth and early life, some sources suggest that Moresby was born in

Queenstown, Ireland Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...

(then part of the United Kingdom). She married a Royal Navy commander Edward Western Hodgkinson and formed a family. Moresby lived and traveled widely in the East, in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, India, China,

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

, and Japan. Her first husband died around 1910 and then, in 1912, she remarried to retired solicitor Ralph Coker Adams Beck. In 1919, the marriage moved to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

, Canada, where she settled eventually and joined to the Canadian Authors Association. She became the first prolific, female fantasy novelist in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. She began her writing career for ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', Asia, and the '' Japanese Gassho'', publishing short-stories. These were gathered into collections since 1922.BC BookWorld
a site dedicated to provide information about authors and books pertaining to British Columbia. She was 60 years old by the time she started to publishing her novels, which commonly had an oriental setting. John Grant and John Clute, ''

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work concerning fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael S ...

'', "Beck, L(ily) Adams", pp. 99-100, Her stories collected in ''The Openers of the Gate'' (1930) feature an

occult detective Occult detective fiction is a subgenre of detective fiction that combines the tropes of the main genre with those of supernatural, fantasy and/or horror fiction. Unlike the traditional detective who investigates murder and other common crimes ...

inspired by the "John Silence" stories of

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary cri ...

. According to the historian Charles Lillard, she was also a distinguished writer of esoteric works such as ''The Splendor of Asia'' (1926) and ''The Story of Oriental Philosophy'' (1928). She has been noted as a major writer of

Theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

. She also published under the pseudonym E. Barrington novelized biographies of British historical figures. The 1929 film ''

The Divine Lady ''The Divine Lady'' is a 1929 American pre-Code Vitaphone sound film with a synchronized musical score, sound effects, and some synchronized singing, but no spoken dialogue. It stars Corinne Griffith and tells the story of the love affair betwe ...

'' was based on her 1924 novel about

Emma, Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy me ...

, which was published as E. Barrington. ''Glorious Apollo'' (1925), a fictionalized biography of

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

also published as E. Barrington, was a bestseller during the 1920s. ''The Thunderer'' is a historical novel revolving around the relationship between

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and Joséphine.Daniel D. McGarry, Sarah Harriman White, ''Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels''. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (p.256) She continued to write and traveling until her death at 68, on 3 January 1931 in

, Japan.

Works

L. Adams Beck

* ''The Ninth Vibration And Other Stories'', (1922) **Contens: The Ninth Vibration; The Interpreter: A Romance of the East; The Incomparable Lady; The Hatred of the Queen; Fire of Beauty; The Building of the Taj Mahal, How Great is the Glory of Kwannon!; The Round-Faced Beauty. * ''The Key Of Dreams: A Romance of the Orient'', (1922) * ''The Perfume Of the Rainbow And Other Stories'', (1923) **Contains: The Perfume of the Rainbow.; The Man and the Lesser Gods; Juana; The Courtesan of Vaisali; The Emperator and the Silk Goddess; The Loveliest Lady of China; The Ghost Plays of Japan; The Marvels of Xanadu; From the Ape to the Buddha; The Sorrow of the Queen; The Perfect One, The Way of Attainment; The Day Book of a Court Lady of Old Japan; The Courtesan Princess; The Happy Solitudes; The Desolate City. * ''The Treasure Of Ho: A Romance Of Revelation'', (1924) * ''The Way of the Stars: A Romance of Reincarnation'', (1925) * ''Rubies: An Adventure in Burma'', (1925) * ''Dreams And Delights: Fantasy Stories'', (1926) * ''The Splendour of Asia: The Story and Teaching of the Buddha'', (1926) (also titled: The Life Of The Buddha) * ''The House Of Fulfilment: The Spiritual Romance of a Soul in the Himalayas'', (1927) * ''The Story Of Oriental Philosophy'', (1928) * ''The Way Of Power: Studies In The Occult'', (1928) (also titled: Siddhis, Miracles, & Occult Power) * ''The Garden Of Vision: A Story of Growth'', (1929) * ''The Openers Of The Gate And Other Stories of the Occult'', (1930) **Contens: The Openers of the Gate; Lord Killary; How Felicity Came Home; Waste Manor; The Mystery of Iniquity; Many Waters Cannot Quench Love; The Horoscope; The Thug; Hell; The Man Who Saw. * ''The Joyous Story Of Astrid'', (1931) * ''Dream Tea: Fantasy Stories'', (1934) * ''A Beginner's Book of Yoga: A Compilation From Her Writings'', (1937) (edited by D. M. Bramble)

E. Barrington

* ''The Ladies: A Shining Constellation of Wit and Beauty'', (1922) **Contents: The Diurnal of Mrs. Elizabeth Pepys; The Mystery of Stella; My Lady Mary; The Golden Vanity; The Walpole Beauty; A Bluestocking at Court; The Darcys of Rosing. * ''The Chaste Diana: The Romance Of The First Polly Peachum'', (1923) * ''The Gallants: Following According to Their Wont the Ladies!'', (1924) **Contens: The King and the Lady; Her Majesty's Godson; The Prince's Pawns; The Pious Coquette; The Two and Nelson; The King and the Lady; The Wooing of Sir Peter Teazle. * ''The Divine Lady: A Romance of Nelson and Emma Hamilton'', (1924) * ''Glorious Apollo: A Novel of Lord Byron'', (1925) * ''The Exquisite Perdita: A Novel of Mary Darby Robinson'', (1926) * ''The Thunderer: A Romance of Napoleon and Josephine'', (1927) * ''The Empress of Hearts: A Romance of Marie Antoinette'', (1928) * ''The Laughing Queen: A Romance of Cleopatra'', (1929) * ''The Duel of the Queens: A Romance of Mary, Queen of Scotland'', (1930) * ''The Irish Beauties: A Romance of the Luck of the Gunnings'', (1931) * ''Anne Boleyn'', (1932) * ''The Great Romantic: Being an Interpretation Of Mr. Samuel Pepys and Elizabeth, His Wife'', (1933) * ''The Graces'', (1934) * ''The Wooing of the Queens: Philippa, Adelais, Matilda, Elizabeth, Isabella, and Anne of Cleves'', (1934) * ''The Crowned Lovers: The True Romance Of Charles the First and His Queen'', (1935)

Louis Moresby

* ''The Glory of Egypt'', (1926) * ''Captain Java'', (1928) Source:

Biography

Works

L. Adams Beck

E. Barrington

Louis Moresby

References

External links