Esmè Stuart

Born in Paris in 1851, Amélie Claire Leroy wrote in English and published much of her fiction under the name Esmé Stuart. Reference sources describe her as having been brought up in England from early childhood, and she went on to build a long writing career that stretched across the late Victorian and early twentieth-century years.

She was an exceptionally productive author, credited with more than 60 works. Her books include historical tales, novels for girls, and family or society stories, and titles associated with Esmé Stuart include The Good Old Days, The Belfry of St. Jude, and Carried Off: A Story of Pirate Times.

Leroy died in 1934. Although she is not widely known today, her fiction still offers a lively glimpse of the tastes of her period, especially for readers who enjoy rediscovering neglected Victorian popular writers.