Elsie Lee

Elsie Lee (née Williams, January 24, 1912 – February 8, 1987) was an American author of over 35 fiction and non-fiction books.

Life

Elsie Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York to Helen (Bogert) and Samuel Byron Williams, Jr.[1] Samuel was a telephone engineer born in Ohio, who worked for Western Electric in New York City.[2] Helen was a housewife.[3] When Elsie was 13 years old, a brother, David G. Williams, was born.[4]

Elsie began cooking at age eight, attended Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania from 1928 to 1932, and attended the Pratt Institute[5] from 1932 to 1933.[1]

Elsie married Morton Lee on December 27, 1941. She was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Authors Guild of Authors League of America, and Mensa. Her interests included cats, cooking, music, bridge, two-pack solitaire games, word games, and jigsaw puzzles.[1]

Elsie worked as a librarian for Price, Waterhouse & Company 1937–1942; as an office manager for Reeves Laboratories 1942–1945; a librarian for the Gulf Oil Company 1947–1951; an executive secretary for Andrews, Clark & Buckley 1951-53 (all in New York City); and as a writer from 1945 until her death.[1] She mentions in Elsie Lee's Book of Simple Gourmet Cookery that she lived in Washington for six years, and Hollywood for three.[6]

Elsie began writing in the 1940s, selling her first stories to the Ladies Home Journal.[7] She described her writing this way: "I write fairy tales for grownups, principally women... I am better at characterizations than plots, and best with cats who are unanimously adored by my readers... I will not compromise on the quality of vocabulary and grammar in my books... it is a writer's responsibility to TEACH subtly through entertainment..."[7]

Her pseudonyms included Elsie Cromwell, Jane Gordon, and Lee Sheridan.

Elsie Williams Lee died February 8, 1987, at the age of 75 while living in New York City.[8][9]

Works

Fiction
  • The Blood Red Oscar (1962)
  • Sam Benedict: Cast the First Stone∞ (1963) (The cover wrongly attributes another writer, the prolific tie-in novelist and pulp fiction veteran Norman Daniels, who may initially have had the assignment, but Lee is credited on the title page.) A novelization of the episode "Twenty Aching Years", teleplay by Ellis Marcus.
  • The Comedy of Terrors∞ (1964), based on the screenplay by Richard Matheson
  • The Masque of the Red Death∞ (1964), based on the screenplay by Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell
  • Muscle Beach Party∞ (1964), based on the screenplay by Robert Dillon
  • Clouds Over Vellanti (1965)
  • Dark Moon, Lost Lady (1965)
  • The Doctor's Office (1965)
  • The Curse of Carranca (1966)
  • The Drifting Sands (1966)
  • Mansion of Golden Windows (1966)
  • Season of Evil (as Jane Gordon) (1966)
  • Sinister Abbey (1967)
  • The Spy at the Villa Miranda (1967)
  • Fulfillment (1968)
  • Barrow Sinister (1969)
  • The Governess (as Elsie Cromwell) (1972)
  • Satan's Coast (1969)
  • Ivorstone Manor (as Elsie Cromwell) (1970)
  • The Diplomatic Lover (1971)
  • Star of Danger (1971)
  • Silence is Golden (1971)
  • Wingarden (1971)
  • The Passions of Medora Graeme (1972)
  • Prior Betrothal (1973)
  • The Wicked Guardian (1973)
  • Second Season (1973)
  • An Eligible Connection (1975)
  • The Nabob's Widow (1976)
  • Roommates (1976)
  • Mistress of Mount Fair (1977)

∞Novelizations of a television show or screenplay

Non-fiction
  • How to Get the Most Out of Your Tape Recording (with Michael Sheridan as Lee Sheridan) (1958)
  • More Fun with Your Tape Recordings and Stereo (with Michael Sheridan as Lee Sheridan) (1958)
  • The Exciting World of Rocks and Gems (1959)
  • The Bachelor's Cookbook (with Michael Sheridan as Lee Sheridan) (1962)
  • Easy Gourmet Cooking (1962)
  • At Home with Plants: A Guide to Successful Indoor Gardening (1966)
  • Second Easy Gourmet Cookbook (1968)
  • Elsie Lee's Book of Simple Gourmet Cookery (1971)
  • Elsie Lee's Party Cookbook (1974)

References
  1. Contemporary Authors, Frances Carol Locher, Ed., Gale Research Company, Detroit, MI, Vol. 85-88, 1980, pp. 339-340
  2. Ancestry.com U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc. 2005
  3. New York State Archives, Albany, NY, State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Census Place: Election District 14, Assembly District 10, Brooklyn, Kings, 15.
  4. 1930 Census Brooklyn, Kings County, NY; Roll: 1513; Page: 23B; Enumberation District: 92; Image: 706.0; FHL microfilm: 2341248
  5. Elsie Lee's Book of Simple Gourmet Cookery, by Elsie Lee, Arbor House, NY, 1971, pp. 7-8
  6. Elsie Lee's Book of Simple Gourmet Cookery, by Elsie Lee, Arbor House, NY, 1971, p. 291
  7. Twentieth-Century Romance and Gothic Writers, James Vinson, Ed., Gale Research Company, Detroit, MI, 1982, pp. 426-428
  8. Social Security Death Index on Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, USA; Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2011
  9. Obituary, New York Times, New York, NY, February 12, 1987, on Ancestry.com Historical Newspapers, Births, Marriage, & Death Announcements, 1851-2003 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA; Ancestry.com Operations Inc. 2006
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