Her Life in Ink (Hardcover)

Sharon M. Harris

ISBN 10: 1493092162 / ISBN 13: 9781493092161

Published by Globe Pequot Press, Old Saybrook, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. Unravel the intriguing life of a woman who edited the literary greats of her day and forged a path to the golden age of mystery writing.Elizabeth Garver Jordan was renowned not only for her own writing but also for her influence in journalism and literature. Her love of intrigue started when she was five and made a secret pact with the family cook, who taught her to read. In her first career as a journalist, Jordan climbed the ranks from columnist to an editor of Pulitzers prestigious New YorkWorld Sunday edition, where her work as an investigative journalist took her from the Bowery to the mansions of Fifth Avenue. She specialized in covering murder trials, including that of the notorious Lizzie Borden. But while the Borden trial made Jordan famous, it also led to a scandal that would follow her throughout her life.As editor for Harpers Bazar, Jordan changed the magazine into the glossy fashion publication for which it remains famous today. She also emphasized fiction, bringing Jack London, Stephen Crane, Henry James, and many suffragists to its pages. When she moved to Harper books as literary editor, she was instrumental to the successful careers of writers such as Sinclair Lewis, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and Fannie Hurst.But perhaps the most surprising influence Jordan wielded was in the field of mystery writing, as an author herself. Although erased from histories of the genre until now, she was one of the premier American mystery writers of the early twentieth century. Like Agatha Christie, Jordans mysteries were high-quality, innovative storiesranging from locked rooms to country estates to gothic settingsthat helped reshape the genre. Here, for the first time, the full story of her lifeincluding her close relationship with Frances Hodgson Burnettis finally revealed. "This is the first biography of Elizabeth Garver Jordan: an outstanding writer, a visionary in terms of genre, and an astute critic of contemporary American culture. Though nearly forgotten today, she was a widely read journalist, an influential editor, and a popular mystery writer in the first half of the twentieth century"-- Provided by publisher. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781493092161

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Her Life in Ink (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Globe Pequot Press, Old Saybrook
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1493092162
• ISBN 13: 9781493092161
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Unravel the intriguing life of a woman who edited the literary greats of her day and forged a path to the golden age of mystery writing.

Elizabeth Garver Jordan was renowned not only for her own writing but also for her influence in journalism and literature. Her love of intrigue started when she was five and made a secret pact with the family cook, who taught her to read. In her first career as a journalist, Jordan climbed the ranks from columnist to an editor of Pulitzer’s prestigious New YorkWorld Sunday edition, where her work as an investigative journalist took her from the Bowery to the mansions of Fifth Avenue. She specialized in covering murder trials, including that of the notorious Lizzie Borden. But while the Borden trial made Jordan famous, it also led to a scandal that would follow her throughout her life.

As editor for Harper’s Bazar, Jordan changed the magazine into the glossy fashion publication for which it remains famous today. She also emphasized fiction, bringing Jack London, Stephen Crane, Henry James, and many suffragists to its pages. When she moved to Harper books as literary editor, she was instrumental to the successful careers of writers such as Sinclair Lewis, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and Fannie Hurst.

But perhaps the most surprising influence Jordan wielded was in the field of mystery writing, as an author herself. Although erased from histories of the genre until now, she was one of the premier American mystery writers of the early twentieth century. Like Agatha Christie, Jordan’s mysteries were high-quality, innovative stories—ranging from locked rooms to country estates to gothic settings—that helped reshape the genre. Here, for the first time, the full story of her life—including her close relationship with Frances Hodgson Burnett—is finally revealed.

About the Author

Sharon M. Harris is professor emerita of English at the University of Connecticut. She is the author of Dr. Mary Walker: An American Radical, 1832-1919, Rebecca Harding Davis: A Life Among Writers, and a coeditor of A Feminist Reader: Feminist Thought from Sappho to Satrapi. She lives in Washington State.