Victoria Holt, born Eleanor Alice Burford, was an illustrious English writer known for her historical romances. Born on 1st September 1906, she was a prolific author, publishing hundreds of books across different genres, each under distinct pen names. She is best recognized for her works as Jean Plaidy, focusing on fictionalized European royalty history, and as Victoria Holt, where she captivated readers with gothic romances. Under the pseudonym Philippa Carr, she crafted a multi-generational family saga.

In addition to these, she wrote light romances, crime novels, murder mysteries, and thrillers under various other pseudonyms, including Eleanor Burford, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Anna Percival, and Ellalice Tate. Her remarkable contribution to the romance genre was recognized in 1989 when she received the Golden Treasure award from the Romance Writers of America.

By the time of her passing on 18th January 1993, she had published over 200 books, achieving sales exceeding 100 million copies, and her works had been translated into 20 languages. Her enduring popularity is evidenced by her continued presence in British libraries today.