Ben Ames Williams

Born in Macon, Mississippi, in 1889 and raised in Jackson, Ohio, Ben Ames Williams grew up around newspapers because his father owned and edited a local paper. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1910, worked as a journalist for the Boston American, and soon turned seriously to fiction.

Williams became one of the most prolific magazine writers of his era, publishing hundreds of short stories along with dozens of novels. His work often drew on New England settings, especially Maine, and ranged across adventure, historical fiction, mystery, and domestic drama. Among the novels most often remembered are All the Brothers Were Valiant, Come Spring, Leave Her to Heaven, House Divided, and The Strange Woman.

He died in 1953 in Brookline, Massachusetts. His career left behind a huge body of popular fiction, and several of his books continued to live on through screen adaptations and library collections devoted to his papers.