author
Ronald MacDonald
1860–1933
A member of the remarkable MacDonald literary family, he wrote historical fiction, plays, and at least one strikingly forward-looking novel. His work sits at an interesting crossroads between Victorian storytelling and the changing concerns of the early 20th century.
1 Audiobook
The Sword of the King
by Ronald MacDonald
About the author
Born in London on October 27, 1860, Ronald MacDonald was a British actor, playwright, and novelist. He was the son of the celebrated writer George MacDonald, and literature clearly ran in the family: he later became the father of novelist and screenwriter Philip MacDonald.
His books included historical fiction such as The Sword of the King and The Sea Maid. He is also remembered for The Election of Isabel (1907), noted by the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction as a near-future novel built around the idea of a woman being elected to Parliament.
MacDonald died in London on July 13, 1933. Though he is less widely known today than some of his relatives, his career shows the breadth of the MacDonald family's contribution to British literature and popular storytelling.