A. M. Williamson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alice Muriel Williamson
Born	Alice Muriel King 8 October 1858 Cleveland, Ohio
Died	24 September 1933(1933-09-24) (aged 74) Bath, England
Resting place	Bath Abbey
Pen name	Alice Stuyvesant, John Colin Dane, William Allison, Alice Livingston
Occupation	Writer
Language	English
Spouse	Charles Norris Williamson m.1894

Alice Muriel Williamson (born October 8, 1858 – died September 24, 1933) was a popular American-English writer. She often published her books under the names "C. N. and A. M. Williamson" or "Mrs. C. N. Williamson."

About Alice Muriel Williamson

Alice Muriel King was born on October 8, 1858, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Marcus King, helped start the Ohio State and Union Law College. In 1890, she began using the name "Livingston." She moved to England in 1892 to work as a foreign correspondent for a newspaper called the Boston Evening Transcript. She wrote about 120 "letters" for them before she started writing fiction full-time. Even after becoming a novelist, she still wrote for newspapers sometimes.

Two years after moving to England, she married Charles Norris Williamson (1857–1920), who was a magazine editor. They often wrote books together, though Alice later shared that she wrote many of them herself.

Her Start as a Writer

Alice's early success as a writer was helped by Alfred Harmsworth. He was a publisher who saw her talent. He made sure her stories, especially exciting serials (stories published in parts), appeared in his newspapers like the Daily Mail.

Her first serial story, "Confessions of a Stage-Struck Girl," came out in Forget-Me-Not in 1894. This story was partly inspired by her earlier time as an actress in America. Her first novel, The Barnstormers (1897), was also based on her acting experiences.

Her second novel, A Woman in Grey (1898), made her known as a great mystery writer. People thought she was as good as the famous author Wilkie Collins. Her third novel, The Newspaper Girl (1899), used funny ideas from a journalist named Elizabeth Banks.

Becoming Famous

Alice Muriel Williamson became known for her humor. Her novel The Lightning Conductor (1902) made her famous around the world. It sold over a million copies in America! A writer named James Milne once said she was "the wittiest girl who ever invaded Fleet Street" (a famous street in London known for newspapers).

She was best known for her adventure stories about motor travel. But she wrote many different kinds of books. These included detective stories, mysteries, spy thrillers, and even ghost stories. She sometimes used different names, like John Colin Dane, for books such as Champion: The Story of a Motor Car (1907). This book was told from the point of view of a car!

She also wrote What I Found Out in the House of a German Prince (1915). This book was about German war plans before World War I. It was so realistic that many people thought it was a true story.

Alice Muriel Williamson passed away on September 24, 1933, in Bath. She is buried next to her husband at Bath Abbey.

Works

• The Barnstomers: Being the Tragical Side of a Comedy (1897)
• Berry Goes to Monte Carlo (1921)
• The Botor Chaperon (1907)
• The Car of Destiny (1907)
• The Career of Joan Carthew (also known as The Girl Who Had Nothing) (1903-1904)
• The Case of Ann Arthur (1930)
• The Castle of Shadows (1909)
• Champion: The Story of a Motor Car (1907)
• The Chauffeur and the Chaperon (1908)
• The Darkened Room (1933)
• The Diamond Code (1932)
• The Door Between (1932)
• Duchess, Behave! (1929) (with Sydney Arundel)
• The Eccentricity of Fleetwood (1901)
• The Flower Forbidden (1911)
• The Girl with One Dress (1927)
• The Golden Silence (1910)
• The Heather Moon (1912)
• The Hidden House (1913–1914) (as Alice Stuyvesant)
• Honeymoon Hate (1927)
• The House by the Lock (1899)
• The House of Silence (1921)
• The Inky Way (1931)
• It Happened in Egypt (1914)
• Lady Betty Across the Water (1906)
• Lady Betty Crosses the Ocean (1905-1906)
• The Lady in Gray (1932)
• The Lightning Conductor (1902)
• The Lightning Conductress (1916)
• The Lightning Conductor Comes Back (1933)
• The Lion’s Mouse (1918)
• Lord John (1933)
• The Love Pirate (1913)
• The Love Trees (1915)
• The Man from Joliet (1915)
• The Motor Maid (1909)
• The Murder House (1932)
• My Lady Cinderella (1906)
• Passport (1930)
• The Port of Adventure (1913)
• The Princess Passes (1904-1905)
• The Princess Virginia (1906-1907)
• Publicity for Anne (1926)
• A Real English Christmas with Lady Betty (1906)
• The Red Pen Murder (1931)
• Rosemary, A Christmas Story (1906)
• The Scarlet Runner (1908)
• The Sea Could Tell (1904)
• The Second Latchkey (1920)
• Secret Gold (1925)
• Set in Silver (1909)
• The Shop-Girl (1916)
• The Silent Battle (1902)
• This Woman to This Man (1917)
• Tiger Ride (1931)
• The Truth About Tanita (1931)
• The Underground Syndicate (1911)
• The War Wedding (1916)
• What’s in a Name? (1932)
• A Woman in Gray (1898)
• A Woman Tried to Steal My Husband (1925)
• The Woman Who Dared (1903)

Translations

Alice Muriel Williamson's mystery novel A Woman in Grey (1898) was translated into Japanese in 1901. It was called Yūrei tō (Ghost Tower). Later, another Japanese writer, Edogawa Rampo, adapted it in 1937–1938. Her novels and newspaper stories were also translated and published in many parts of Europe, especially in France, Holland, and Switzerland.

Filmography

Many of Alice Muriel Williamson's books were made into movies:

• The Lightning Conductor (1914)
• The House of the Lost Court (1915)
• Lord John in New York (1915)
• The Grey Sisterhood (1916, short film)
• Lord Loveland Discovers America (1916)
• Three Fingered Jenny (1916, short film)
• The Eye of Horus (1916, short film)
• The League of the Future (1916, short film)
• The Shop Girl [it] (1916)
• The Scarlet Runner (1916, serial film)
• The Woman Who Dared [it] (1916)
• The Life Mask (1918)
• The Demon (1918)
• A Woman in Grey [pt] (1920, serial film)
• Passion's Playground (1920)
• My Lady's Latchkey (1921)
• The Lion's Mouse (UK, 1923)
• My Friend the Chauffeur (Germany, 1926)
• Honeymoon Hate (1927)
• The Man Without a Face (1928, serial film)
• El príncipe gondolero (Spanish language, 1931)
• Yūrei tō (Japan, 1948)