author

Mrs. Herbert Strang

A pen name used for adventurous fiction and story collections aimed at girls, this byline belonged to two Oxford University Press colleagues who also wrote as Herbert Strang. The name is especially linked with The Girl Crusoes and with lively anthologies created for young readers.

1 Audiobook

The Girl Crusoes: A Story of the South Seas

The Girl Crusoes: A Story of the South Seas

by Mrs. Herbert Strang

About the author

Mrs. Herbert Strang was not one individual, but a pseudonym used by George Herbert Ely (1866–1958) and Charles James L'Estrange (1867–1947). The pair are better known for writing boys' adventure fiction as Herbert Strang, while the Mrs. Herbert Strang name was used for books and collections intended for girls.

Both men worked for Oxford University Press, which also published their books. Under this byline they were connected with girls' anthologies and adventure stories, including The Girl Crusoes: A Story of the South Seas, a castaway tale first published in 1912.

The result is an interesting literary identity: a carefully shaped house-style name from the early 20th century, used to bring fast-moving, wholesome adventure and story collections to young readers. While the real authors stood behind the scenes, the byline became a familiar one on girls' books of the period.