Mary Johnston (1) (1870–1936)

Mary Johnston was born in the small town of Buchanan, Virginia, the daughter of a Confederate veteran of the Civil War. She was educated at home by family and tutors. She began writing to help support herself and her family, and was active in the women's suffrage movement. The first of her 23 historical romance novels, Prisoners of Hope, appeared in 1898. Her second book, To Have and to Hold (1900), was serialized in the The Atlantic Monthly and became enormously popular. It was the bestselling novel in the USA that year, making her the first woman writer to top the bestseller list in the 20th century. To Have and to Hold was later adapted for the stage and was twice made into a silent film. The Long Roll, her 1911 novel on the Civil War, was also a leading bestseller. Her books were also very popular in Canada and the UK. She also wrote short stories, drama, and long narrative poems. In 1923, she published the influential short story "Nemesis," portraying the horrors of lynching. She died at age 65 of Bright's disease.