Laura Jean Libbey (March 22, 1862 – October 25, 1924) was an American writer.
Biography
Libbey lived most of her life in Brooklyn, New York. [1] Her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Libbey. [2] She began writing around age 20. [1] Over the course of her career, she completed 82 novels. [1]
Some of Libbey's stories first appeared as serialized stories in papers such as The New York Family Story Paper, The Fireside Companion, and the New York Ledger. [1] During the 1880s her stories were popular enough for Libbey to negotiate high paying exclusive contracts with specific papers. [3] These serialized stories were later reprinted in dime novel format by publishers of cheap fiction such as George Munro, Arthur Westbrook, and John Lovell. [1]
Over fifteen million copies of her books were published. [3] According to The American Bookseller, Libbey's 1889 The Pretty Young Girl was "the hit of the season" in selling 60,000 copies in thirty days. [4] At one point, Libbey reported she was earning $60,000 a year, but this number may have been exaggerated. [1] [3]
Three of Libbey's stories were made into films: When Love Grows Cold (1926), A Poor Girl's Romance (1927), and In a Moment of Temptation (1928). [5] [6] [7] Libbey also wrote 120 plays, many based on her previously published stories. [3]
Known as the "working-girl" novelist, [8] Libbey's stories were romances about employed young women without family support. [1] Her earliest stories (published in the 1880s) were moralistic and focused on the difficulties of factory work. [3] The stories published in the 1890s and 1900s focused more on the process of finding an appropriate romantic partner. [3]
According to Joyce Shaw Peterson, Libbey's heroines show signs of being proto-feminists. [9] They work for a living, they are spirited, they are proud, they have integrity. [9] When abducted they often manage to run away on their own. [9] However, their permanent safety always depends upon male protection. [9] There is no female solidarity in Libbey's stories, other women are jealous rivals for the attentions of men. [9] Employment is an opportunity to find a wonderful husband, not a chance to find freedom and self-definition. [9] Overall, Libbey's stories were outside the feminist stream of the time which focused on economic independence. [9]
Libbey also worked as an editor. [1] From 1891 to 1894 she edited George Munro's Fashion Bazaar. [1] Her financial records indicate that she received $10,400 a year for her editorial work. [1]
Supposedly Libbey's mother forbade her from marrying. [1] Two years after Libbey's mother died in 1896 she married a Brooklyn lawyer by the name of Van Mater Stilwell. [1] Libbey was 36 years old when she married. [1]
Libbey died at her home in Park Slope on October 25, 1924, after complications from cancer surgery. [1] [10] She is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. [10] Libbey's papers are held by Rutgers University. [11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Laura Jean Libbey - American Women's Dime Novel Project". American Women's Dime Novel Project. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Leonard, John William; Mohr, William Frederick; Knox, Herman Warren; Holmes, Frank R.; Downs, Winfield Scott (1904). Who's who in New York City and State. Who's who publications, Incorporated.
- ^ a b c d e f Sullivan, Larry E.; Schurman, Lydia C. (February 1, 2013). Pioneers, Passionate Ladies, and Private Eyes: Dime Novels, Series Books, and Paperbacks. Routledge. ISBN 9781135068097.
- ^ The American Bookseller: A Semi-monthly Journal Pub. in the Interests of Publishers, Booksellers and Newsdealers. American News Company. 1889.
- ^ "When Love Grows Cold (1925) - Screenplay Info - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Weight, F. Harmon (May 23, 1926), A Poor Girl's Romance, Creighton Hale, Gertrude Short, Rosa Rudami, retrieved May 8, 2018
- ^ In a Moment of Temptation (1927), retrieved May 8, 2018
-
^ Davis, Cynthia J.; West, Kathryn (May 9, 1996).
Women Writers in the United States: A Timeline of Literary, Cultural, and Social History. Oxford University Press. p.
130.
ISBN
9780195358124.
LAURA JEAN LIBBEY 1862.
- ^ a b c d e f g Peterson, Joyce Shaw (March 1, 1983). "Working girls and millionaires: the melodramatic romances of laura jean libbey". American Studies. 24 (1): 19–35. ISSN 0026-3079.
- ^ a b "Laura Jean Libbey Dies at Park Slope Home; Famous as a Novelist". The Standard Union. October 26, 1924. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Women's History Sources: A Guide to Manuscripts: L - M | Rutgers University Libraries". www.libraries.rutgers.edu. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
External links
-
Works by Laura Jean Libbey at
Project Gutenberg
- Mischievous Maid Faynie by Laura Jean Libbey at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Laura Jean Libbey at Internet Archive
- American Women's Dime Novel Project biography at the Wayback Machine (archived July 26, 2012)
- Laura Jean Libbey at Find a Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
Laura Jean Libbey (March 22, 1862 – October 25, 1924) was an American writer.
Biography
Libbey lived most of her life in Brooklyn, New York. [1] Her parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Libbey. [2] She began writing around age 20. [1] Over the course of her career, she completed 82 novels. [1]
Some of Libbey's stories first appeared as serialized stories in papers such as The New York Family Story Paper, The Fireside Companion, and the New York Ledger. [1] During the 1880s her stories were popular enough for Libbey to negotiate high paying exclusive contracts with specific papers. [3] These serialized stories were later reprinted in dime novel format by publishers of cheap fiction such as George Munro, Arthur Westbrook, and John Lovell. [1]
Over fifteen million copies of her books were published. [3] According to The American Bookseller, Libbey's 1889 The Pretty Young Girl was "the hit of the season" in selling 60,000 copies in thirty days. [4] At one point, Libbey reported she was earning $60,000 a year, but this number may have been exaggerated. [1] [3]
Three of Libbey's stories were made into films: When Love Grows Cold (1926), A Poor Girl's Romance (1927), and In a Moment of Temptation (1928). [5] [6] [7] Libbey also wrote 120 plays, many based on her previously published stories. [3]
Known as the "working-girl" novelist, [8] Libbey's stories were romances about employed young women without family support. [1] Her earliest stories (published in the 1880s) were moralistic and focused on the difficulties of factory work. [3] The stories published in the 1890s and 1900s focused more on the process of finding an appropriate romantic partner. [3]
According to Joyce Shaw Peterson, Libbey's heroines show signs of being proto-feminists. [9] They work for a living, they are spirited, they are proud, they have integrity. [9] When abducted they often manage to run away on their own. [9] However, their permanent safety always depends upon male protection. [9] There is no female solidarity in Libbey's stories, other women are jealous rivals for the attentions of men. [9] Employment is an opportunity to find a wonderful husband, not a chance to find freedom and self-definition. [9] Overall, Libbey's stories were outside the feminist stream of the time which focused on economic independence. [9]
Libbey also worked as an editor. [1] From 1891 to 1894 she edited George Munro's Fashion Bazaar. [1] Her financial records indicate that she received $10,400 a year for her editorial work. [1]
Supposedly Libbey's mother forbade her from marrying. [1] Two years after Libbey's mother died in 1896 she married a Brooklyn lawyer by the name of Van Mater Stilwell. [1] Libbey was 36 years old when she married. [1]
Libbey died at her home in Park Slope on October 25, 1924, after complications from cancer surgery. [1] [10] She is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. [10] Libbey's papers are held by Rutgers University. [11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Laura Jean Libbey - American Women's Dime Novel Project". American Women's Dime Novel Project. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Leonard, John William; Mohr, William Frederick; Knox, Herman Warren; Holmes, Frank R.; Downs, Winfield Scott (1904). Who's who in New York City and State. Who's who publications, Incorporated.
- ^ a b c d e f Sullivan, Larry E.; Schurman, Lydia C. (February 1, 2013). Pioneers, Passionate Ladies, and Private Eyes: Dime Novels, Series Books, and Paperbacks. Routledge. ISBN 9781135068097.
- ^ The American Bookseller: A Semi-monthly Journal Pub. in the Interests of Publishers, Booksellers and Newsdealers. American News Company. 1889.
- ^ "When Love Grows Cold (1925) - Screenplay Info - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Weight, F. Harmon (May 23, 1926), A Poor Girl's Romance, Creighton Hale, Gertrude Short, Rosa Rudami, retrieved May 8, 2018
- ^ In a Moment of Temptation (1927), retrieved May 8, 2018
-
^ Davis, Cynthia J.; West, Kathryn (May 9, 1996).
Women Writers in the United States: A Timeline of Literary, Cultural, and Social History. Oxford University Press. p.
130.
ISBN
9780195358124.
LAURA JEAN LIBBEY 1862.
- ^ a b c d e f g Peterson, Joyce Shaw (March 1, 1983). "Working girls and millionaires: the melodramatic romances of laura jean libbey". American Studies. 24 (1): 19–35. ISSN 0026-3079.
- ^ a b "Laura Jean Libbey Dies at Park Slope Home; Famous as a Novelist". The Standard Union. October 26, 1924. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved April 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Women's History Sources: A Guide to Manuscripts: L - M | Rutgers University Libraries". www.libraries.rutgers.edu. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
External links
-
Works by Laura Jean Libbey at
Project Gutenberg
- Mischievous Maid Faynie by Laura Jean Libbey at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Laura Jean Libbey at Internet Archive
- American Women's Dime Novel Project biography at the Wayback Machine (archived July 26, 2012)
- Laura Jean Libbey at Find a Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |