Eleanor Alice Burford

Eleanor Alice Burford (1906–1993) was an English novelist who published historical fiction under the names Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, and Philippa Carr.

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Jean Plaidy: Jean Plaidy was a pen name used by English novelist Eleanor Alice Burford for historical novels, especially royal biographies. This name carried her extensive novels about English and European monarchs.
The King's Pleasure: The King's Pleasure is a historical novel by Jean Plaidy about Henry VIII and his court. It exemplifies Plaidy's fiction centered on a major English monarch.
Louis Hachette: Louis Hachette was a French publisher who founded the Hachette publishing house in 1826. Hachette's publishing group later issued many of Burford's novels.
Historical romance: Historical romance is fiction that combines a past setting with a central romantic relationship. Her Holt novels brought historical settings together with romance and suspense.
Victoria Holt: Victoria Holt was a pen name used by Eleanor Alice Burford for romantic suspense and Gothic novels. Under this name, she became known for suspenseful historical romances.
The Captive of Kensington Palace: The Captive of Kensington Palace is a Jean Plaidy novel about the early life of Queen Victoria. It shows her use of royal biography as the basis for historical fiction.
Brian de Bois-Guilbert: Brian de Bois-Guilbert was an English literary agent associated with popular fiction writers, including Burford. His agency represented Burford during her career as a prolific novelist.
Popular fiction: Popular fiction is writing produced for broad readerships and commercial circulation. Her large readership and output place her within postwar popular fiction.
Philippa Carr: Philippa Carr was a pen name used by Eleanor Alice Burford for multigenerational historical novels. This identity grouped her family sagas across English history.
Mistress of Mellyn: Mistress of Mellyn is a 1960 Gothic romance novel by Victoria Holt, set in Cornwall. This bestseller established the Victoria Holt name in Gothic romantic suspense.