To Have and to Hold (Cortero Pantheon Edition) - Softcover

Johnston, Professor Mary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1934757136 ISBN 13: 9781934757130

Publisher: Cortero Publishing, 2009

Synopsis

To Have and to Hold introduced 20th century readers to what would become the fast-paced historical thriller of today. Released in February, 1900, it sold over 220,000 copies in just twelve weeks, and launched the career of one of the South's most talented writers, Mary Johnston. The plot is tailor-made for action. A beautiful maid-of-honor, a ward of King James I, escapes marriage to a libertine nobleman, who is the king's favorite. She flees to colonial Virginia with a cargo of brides sent out by the Virginia Company of London, and marries a rough, hard-working, settler. He turns out to be a former English soldier and a famous swordsman, who must now defend his wife against her former fiancée who has tracked her to Jamestown. From that starting point, we are treated to duels, shipwrecks, sieges, poisonings, adventures with pirates, and capture by indians-each following the other with breathtaking rapidity. To Have and to Hold was the first romance novel to go #1 on an official bestseller list. It was the inspiration for two movies and a musical drama, and was the first movie to be remade into a second version. "Daringly and dazzlingly written, full of vigorous movement; the characters are boldly outlined and the scenery is polychromatic. - Ernest A. Baker - Author - A Guide to Historical Fiction and The History of the English Novel

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Johnston (November 21, 1870 – May 9, 1936) was an American novelist and women's rights advocate. The daughter of an American Civil War soldier who became a successful lawyer, Mary Johnston was born in the small town of Buchanan, Virginia. A small and frail girl, she was educated at home by family and tutors. She grew up with a love of books and was financially independent enough to devote herself to writing. Johnston wrote historical books and novels that often combined romance with history. Her first book Prisoners of Hope (1898) dealt with colonial times in Virginia as did her second novel To Have and to Hold (1900) and her Sir Mortimer (1904). The Goddess of Reason (1907) uses the theme of the French Revolution and in Lewis Rand (1908), the author portrayed political life at the dawn of the 19th century. Three of Johnston's books were adapted to film. Audrey was made into a silent film of the same name in 1916 and her blockbuster work To Have and to Hold, which was the best-selling novel in the United States in 1900, was made into a silent film in 1916 and filmed again in 1922. Pioneers of the Old South was adapted to film in 1923 under the title Jamestown. During her long career, in addition to twenty-three novels, Johnston wrote a number of short stories, one drama, and two long narrative poems. She used her fame to advocate women's rights, strongly supporting the women's suffrage movement.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cortero Publishing
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1934757136
• ISBN 13: 9781934757130
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 324