Mary Johnston

Born in Buchanan, Virginia, in 1870 and raised largely in Richmond, she became one of the most popular historical novelists of her time. Her books included To Have and to Hold, Audrey, and The Long Roll, and she was especially known for stories set in Virginia and the American past.

Her fiction mixed adventure, romance, and careful historical detail, helping her reach a large readership in the United States and beyond. Alongside her literary work, she took an active public role in the fight for women's voting rights and supported reform causes in the early twentieth century.

She died in 1936. Today, she is remembered both for her once hugely successful historical novels and for the energy she brought to public life outside the page.