Carolyn Wells
Carolyn Wells was an influential American writer, born in 1862 in Rahway, New Jersey. Demonstrating remarkable literacy from a young age, she began writing before she was six years old. Although she faced personal challenges, including partial deafness from scarlet fever, Wells pursued a career in writing, initially contributing to small literary magazines. Her breakthrough came in 1896 with her first published book, "At the Sign of the Sphinx," followed by a well-received collection of whimsical verse titled "A Nonsense Anthology" in 1902. Throughout her career, she published over 180 works, spanning mystery novels, children's literature, and humorous pieces. After marrying publisher Hadwin Houghton in 1918, Wells shifted her focus to mystery writing after his death a year later. Her diverse contributions to literature include a play adaptation and numerous popular magazine articles. Carolyn Wells passed away in 1942, leaving behind a legacy of wit and creativity that continues to resonate in the literary world.
Carolyn Wells
American adult and children's novelist, poet, and editor.
- Born: June 18, 1862
- Birthplace: Rahway, New Jersey
- Died: March 26, 1942
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Carolyn Wells, a humor and mystery writer, was born in 1862, in Rahway, New Jersey, to parents of English ancestry. Wells read fluently before the age of four and wrote a complete book by the age of six. Her early fascination with books influenced her desire to become a writer. At the age of six, Wells contracted scarlet fever, which left her partially deaf. Her deafness devastated her emotionally and she avoided social situations. Even after graduating valedictorian from her high school, she chose not to attend college, preferring to continue her education with private tutors.
While working as a librarian at the Rahway Library Association, Wells spent several years studying with two noted scholars, William J. Rolfe and Oliver Herford. Under their instruction, she tailored her writing style and began contributing to various small weeklies such as Chap Book, The Lark, and Yellow Book. With the encouragement of her instructor, Rolfe, Wells wrote a collection of literary puzzles, At the Sign of the Sphinx, which became her first published book in 1896.
Wells' second tutor, Herford, helped her break into the popular magazine market. Herford, a well-known illustrator, collaborated with Wells on a collection of jingles which they sold to St. Nicholas Magazine. These jingles caught the eye of numerous publishers and soon Wells was selling her work to magazines such as Scribner’s, Harper’s Bazaar, Woman’s Home Companion, and The Saturday Evening Post.
In 1902, Wells compiled a collection of whimsical verse titled A Nonsense Anthology. This work, illustrated by Herford, was well received and further established Wells’s literary career. After the success of A Nonsense Anthology, Wells steadily published three to four books a year. In total, she produced more than one hundred and eighty books throughout her career.
In 1918, Wells married Hadwin Houghton, a publisher. After their wedding, they relocated to New York City. Houghton died one year later. After her husband’s death, Wells began to diversify her writing. She wrote fewer humorous pieces and produced many mystery novels, children’s books, and game books. In addition to these works, Wells wrote a play, Maid of Athens, adapted from an operetta by Victor Leon, with music by Franz Lehar. The play was first produced on the New York stage in 1914 and remained in production for more than a year. Wells died in New York City in 1942, at the age of seventy-nine. Despite the many difficulties in her life, Wells never lost her ability to write works that were filled with humor and wit.
Author Works
Children's/Young Adult Literature:
The Story of Betty, 1899
Mother Goose's Menagerie, 1901 (Peter Newell, illustrator)
Folly in Fairyland, 1901
Patty Fairfield, 1901
Pete & Polly Stories, 1902 (Fanny Young Cory, illustrator)
Folly in the Forest, 1902
Eight Girls and a Dog, 1902
In the Reign of Queen Dick, 1904 (W. Strothmann, illustrator)
Patty at Home, 1904
Patty in the City, 1905
Patty's Summer Days, 1906
Patty in Paris, 1907
Marjorie's Vacation, 1907
Marjorie's Busy Days, 1908
Patty's Friends, 1908
Marjorie's New Friend, 1909
Patty's Pleasure Trip, 1909
Dick and Dolly, 1909
Dick and Dolly's Adventures, 1910
Marjorie in Command, 1910
Patty's Success, 1910
Betty's Happy Year, 1910 (Reginald B. Birch, illustrator)
Marjorie's Maytime, 1911
Patty's Motor Car, 1911
Marjorie at Seacote, 1912
Patty's Butterfly Days, 1912
Patty's Social Season, 1913
Patty's Romance, 1915
Patty's Suitors, 1915
Two Little Women, 1915
Two Little Women on a Holiday, 1915
Patty's Fortune, 1916
Patty Blossom, 1917
Patty-Bride, 1918
Patty and Azalea, 1919
Drama:
Maid of Athens, pr. 1914 (adaptation of Victor Leon's operetta; music by Franz Lehar)
Jolly Plays for Holidays: A Collection of Christmas Entertainments, 1914
The Sweet Girl Graduate, A Commencement Play, 1922
The Meaning of Thanksgiving day, A Seasonal Play, 1922
Queen Christmas, A Pageant Play,, 1922
Edited Text:
A Nonsense Anthology, 1902 (illustrated by Oliver Herford)
A Parody Anthology, 1904
A Satire Anthology, 1905
A Whimsey Anthology, 1906
The Book of Humorous Verse, 1920
Concise Bibliography of the Works of Walt Whitman, 1922 (with Alfred F. Goldsmith)
An Outline Of Humor; Being A True Chronicle From Prehistoric Ages To The Twentieth Century, 1923
Carolyn Wells' Book of American Limericks, 1925
Rivulets of Prose: Critical Essays, by Walt Whitman, 1928 (with Alfred F. Goldsmith)
Long Fiction:
Abeniki Caldwell: A Burlesque Historical Novel, 1902
The Gordon Elopement: The Story of a Short Vacation, 1904 (with Harry Persons Taber)
The Staying Guest, 1904
The Dorrance Domain, 1905 (William F. Stecher, illustrator)
Dorrance Doings, c. 1906 (William F. Stecher, illustrator)
The Rubaiyat of a Motor Car, 1906
The Rubaiyat of Bridge, 1909
The Clue, 1909
The Emily Emmins Papers, 1909
The Gold Bag, 1911
A Chain of Evidence, 1912
The Maxwell Mystery, 1913
Anybody but Anne, 1914
The White Alley, 1915
The Bride of a Moment, 1916
The Curved Blades, 1916
The Mark of Cain, 1917
Faulkner's Folly, 1917
Doris of Dobbs Ferry, 1917 (Frances Rogers, illustrator)
The Room with the Tassels, 1918
Vicky Van, 1918 (also known as The Elusive Vicky Van)
The Diamond Pin, 1919
The Man Who Fell Through the Earth, 1919
In the Onyx Lobby, 1920
The Disappearance of Kimball Webb, 1920 (as Rowland Wright)
Raspberry Jam, 1920
The Come-Back, 1921
The Mystery of the Sycamore, 1921
The Luminous Face, 1921
Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat , 1921
The Vanishing of Betty Varian, 1922
The Mystery Girl, 1922
The Affair at Flower Acres, 1923
Feathers Left Around, 1923
More Lives than One, 1923
Spooky Hollow, 1923
Wheels Within Wheels, 1923
The Fourteenth Key, 1924
The Furthest Fury, 1924
The Moss Mystery, 1924
Prillilgirl, 1924
The Daughter of the House, 1925
Face Cards, 1925
Anything but the Truth, 1925
The Bronze Hand, 1926
The Red-Haired Girl, 1926
The Vanity Case, 1926
The Clue of the New Pin, 1926
All at Sea, 1927
The Sixth Commandment, 1927
Where's Emily?, 1927
The Crime in the Crypt, 1928
The Tannahill Tangle, 1928
Deep-Lake Mystery, 1928
Sleeping Dogs, 1929
The Tapestry Room Murder, 1929
Triple Murder, 1929
The Ghosts' High Noon, 1930
The Doorstep Murder, 1930
The Doomed Five, 1930
The Umbrella Murder, 1931
Horror House, 1931
The Skeleton at the Feast, 1931
Fuller's Earth, 1932
The Roll-Top Desk Mystery, 1932
The Omnibus Fleming Stone, 1932
The Broken O, 1933
The Clue of the Eyelash, 1933
The Master Murderer, 1933
Eyes in the Wall, 1934
The Visiting Villain, 1934
The Wooden Indian, 1935
The Beautiful Derelict, 1935
For Goodness' Sake, 1935
Murder in the Bookshop, 1936
Money Musk, 1936
The Huddle, 1936
In the Tiger's Cage, 1936
The Mystery of the Tarn, 1937
The Radio Studio Murder, 1937
Gilt-Edged Guilt, 1938
The Killer, 1938
The Missing Link, 1938
Calling All Suspects, 1939
Crime Tears On, 1939
The Importance of Being Murdered, 1939
Murder on Parade, 1940
Murder Plus, 1940
Crime Incarnate, 1940
Devil's Work, 1940
The Black Night Murders, 1941
Murder at the Casino, 1941
Murder Will In, 1942
Who Killed Caldwell?, 1942
Nonfiction:
The Technique of the Mystery Story, 1913 (J. Berg Esenwein, editor)
The Rest of My Life, 1937
Poetry:
The Jingle Book, 1899
Baubles, 1900
Idle Idyls, 1900
A Phenomenal Fauna, 1901 (juvenile)
Children of Our Town, 1902 (juvenile; E. Mars and M. H. Squire illustrators)
Fluffy Ruffles, 1907 (Wallace Morgan, illustrator)
The Seven Ages of Childhood, 1909 (Jessie Willcox Smith, illustrator)
Girls and Gayety, c. 1913
Christmas Carollin', 1913
The Cat in Verse, 1935
Short Fiction:
At the Sign of the Sphinx, 1896
The Eternal Feminine, 1913
Bibliography
Powell, Steven, editor. 100 American Crime Writers. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Contains a brief profile of Wells focusing on her mysteries.
Stetz, Margaret D. "The 'Transatlantic' and Late Nineteenth-Century American Women's Humor." Studies in American Humor, vol. 1, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1–19. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=2015383625&site=eds-live. Accessed 22 June 2017. Provides sociohistorical context for Wells's humorous writings.
Wells, Carolyn. The Rest of My Life. J. B. Lippincott, 1937. Well's life story in her own words.