Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell

Born Ethel May Dell in Streatham, London, on August 2, 1881, she became a remarkably popular British novelist and published more than 30 romance novels as well as short fiction. Her work found a wide audience in the early decades of the 20th century, when readers embraced her blend of melodrama, adventure, and passionate feeling.

Among her best-known books is The Way of an Eagle, one of the novels that helped establish her reputation. She continued publishing steadily for many years, building a strong following with stories that often mixed intense relationships with exotic settings and high emotional stakes.

Dell died on September 19, 1939. Although her style belongs very much to its era, her novels still offer a vivid window into the popular romantic fiction of her time.