Clair Blank

Born Clarissa Mabel Blank on August 5, 1915, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she grew up in Pennsylvania and later lived in Philadelphia. She graduated from Olney High School with honors and started astonishingly young as a novelist, completing the first four Beverly Gray books by age 18.

Her biggest success was the Beverly Gray series, which eventually ran to 26 volumes between 1934 and 1956. She also wrote the three-book Adventure Girls series and an adult novel, Lover Come Back. Alongside her writing, she worked in Philadelphia as a typist and secretary, and during World War II she volunteered with the American Women's Voluntary Services.

Clair Blank died in Philadelphia on August 15, 1965, at just 50 years old. Though she is not as widely known today as some of her contemporaries, her spirited mystery stories still appeal to readers who enjoy vintage series fiction and the history of classic girls' books.