The verdict of literary historians and academic critics upon the fiction writers of the years between 1883 and 1909--the period when Francis Marion Crawford was writing novels--has long since been rendered in favor of William Dean Howells, Mark Twain, and Henry James. That judgment is not likely to be reversed, but anyone concerned with the novel in America should realize that the American and British public of this period overwhelmingly preferred the work of Crawford to that of those "masters." The popularity of his forty-four novels, each a best-seller in its day, and three collected editions of his works published during his lifetime provide irrefutable evidence of their appeal to readers of novels. In addition to his fame as a novelist American readers applauded Crawford as a lecturer, playwright, critic, and historian. As a professional man of letters he was a glamorous figure, often called the Prince of Sorrento.
Crawford's own romantic life contained the sources of most of his novels.
