Elinor Macartney Lane (1864 – March 15, 1909) was an American novelist who was popular in the first decade of the 1900s. After publishing a number of short stories, she wrote three novels: ''Mills of God'' (1901),(17 August 1901)
A Woman's First Novel
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' ''Nancy Stair'' (1904),(4 June 1904)
The Romance of a Scotch Lassie (book review)
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'' and ''Katrine'' (1909).(17 March 1909)
Mrs. Elinor Lane Dead; Well-Known Novelist Stricken at Lynchburg, Va.
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''Tracy, Marguerite (15 May 1909)
The Art of Mrs. Elinor Lane
''

Biography

Born in Maryland, she later moved to Washington, where she attended high school and

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...

, from which she graduated in 1882. She then taught in the public schools, specializing in mathematics. She married educator Francis Ransom Lane in 1891. She started writing at age 16, when she also started an occasionally published magazine called ''The Trifler''. Her first novel ''Mills of God'' was published in 1901.Alderman, Edwin Anderson et al. (eds.
Library of Southern Literature: Vol. VII, Johnston-Lucas
pp. 3003-20 (1909) (biography and exemplars of her writings) Although it did not reach '' The Bookman'' 's Top 10 bestselling books list for the whole year of 1904, ''Nancy Stair'' was a best-selling book and received well by critics.Best Selling Books
'' The Bookman'' (January 1905) (Listing ''Nancy Stair'' as the ninth-best selling book for sales in November 1904)(16 July 1905)
In Workshop and Study
''The Sunday Oregonian'' It was adapted for the stage in 1905 by Paul M. Potter, who was best known for his hit play ''

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'', an adaptation of the very popular 1894 novel. It played on Broadway at the

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for a month in 1905, though it was not a success.Criterion Theatre
''The Theatre'', pp. 82-84 (Vol. V, No. 50, April 1905) Lane's last novel, ''Katrine'', was released almost coincident with her death in March 1909. It was the second-best selling novel in the United States for 1909.

Illness and death

After returning home from a trip to Europe, Lane died in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch, the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mount ...

on March 15, 1909, while travelling to Asheville, North Carolina to recuperate from illness. Her home was at that time in

Port Deposit, Maryland Port Deposit is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River near its discharge into the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 653 at the 2010 census. Geography Port Deposit is located a ...

, where her husband was director of the

Tome School The Tome School is a private school in North East in Cecil County in the U.S. state of Maryland. Founded in 1894 by Jacob Tome, it is one of the oldest schools in Maryland. It enrolls grades K–12. As of 2022, the Head of School is Christine Szyma ...

.Advertisement Jacob Tome Boarding School for Boys
''New Outlook'' (September 1906) (other references also confirm that Francis Lane was director of the school; this is an advertisement listing him as director)(26 January 1908). Washington People Who Are Leading Characters of Well-Known Book, ''

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'' (half page article about Lane, her home in Port Deposit, and characters in ''Nancy Stair'') According to a report in the ''Book News Monthly'' after her death, she had been ill for some years and her death was not wholly unexpected. She reportedly had to write in an "absolutely dark room, with her head tightly bandaged, her writing managed only by a careful guiding of her pencil over the paper."(15 May 1909)
Literary Chat and Comment
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Lewiston Journal The ''Sun Journal'' is a newspaper published in Lewiston, Maine, United States, which covers central and western Maine. In addition to its main office in Lewiston, the paper maintains satellite news and sales bureaus in the Maine towns of Farming ...

''(17 March 1909)
Elinor Macartney Lane, Prominent Novelist, Dies
''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the ''New York Herald Tribune''. Hist ...

''(1 April 1909)
Obituary
''Bookseller, Newsdealer, and Stationer''

Bibliography

* ''Mills of God'' (1901) * ''Nancy Stair'' (1904) * ''All for the Love of a Lady'' (novelette) (1906) (87 pgs.) (first published in '' Appleton's Magazine'')Appleton's Book Gossip
'' Appleton's Magazine'', pp. 705-06 (May 1906) * ''Katrine'' (1909) * ''The Apple-Tree Cottage'' (novelette) (1910) (52 pgs.)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Elinor Macartney 1864 births 1909 deaths 20th-century American novelists American women novelists Novelists from Maryland People from Port Deposit, Maryland 20th-century American women writers 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American women writers