author
Alice E. (Alice Elinor) Bartlett
1848–1920
An American novelist and journalist who wrote under the pen name Birch Arnold, she moved easily between newspaper work, poetry, essays, and fiction. Her best-known book, A New Aristocracy, shows her interest in social questions and imaginative storytelling.
1 Audiobook
A New Aristocracy
by Alice E. (Alice Elinor) Bartlett
About the author
Alice E. Bartlett (Alice Elinor Bartlett, 1848–1920) was an American author born in Delavan, Wisconsin. She wrote under the names Birch Arnold and Mrs. J. M. D. Bartlett, and her career ranged across novels, newspaper writing, lyrics, essays, and other literary work.
Sources consulted during this search describe her as having studied at the University of Wisconsin and worked for major newspapers including the Chicago Herald, the Chicago Chronicle, and the Detroit Journal. That mix of journalism and creative writing helps explain the practical, energetic tone of her work.
She is especially remembered for A New Aristocracy (1891), a utopian novel that still draws interest from readers of early speculative fiction. A contemporary biographical sketch also presents her as a recognized literary figure of her day, suggesting a writer who was active, versatile, and closely connected to the newspaper and literary culture of the American Midwest.