Catherine Cookson (1906–1998)
Author of The Black Velvet Gown
About the Author
Catherine Cookson, 1906 - 1998 British writer Catherine Cookson was born in Tyne Dock, Co. Durham. She was born illegitimate and into poverty with a mother who was, at times, an alcoholic and violent. From the age of thirteen, Catherine suffered from hereditary hemorrhage telangiectasia. She also show more believed, for many years, that she was abandoned as a baby and that her mother was actually her older sister. Catherine wrote her first short story, "The Wild Irish Girl," at the age of eleven and sent it to the South Shields Gazette, which sent it back in three days. She left school at the age of thirteen to work as a maid for the rich and powerful. It was then that she saw the great class barrier inside their society. From working in a laundry, she saved enough money to open an apartment hotel in Hastings. Schoolmaster, Tom Cookson, was one of her tenants and became her husband in 1940. She suffered several miscarriages and became depressed so she began writing to help her recovery. Catherine has written over ninety novels and, under the pseudonym of Catherine Marchant, she wrote three different series of books, which included the Bill Bailey, the Mary Ann, and the Mallen series. Her first book, "Kate Hannigan" (1950), tells the partly autobiographical story of a working-class girl becoming pregnant by an upper-middle class man. The baby is raised by Kate's parents and the child believes them to be her real parents and that Kate is her sister. Many of her novels are set in 19th century England and tell of poverty in such settings as mines, shipyards and farms. Her characters usually cross the class barrier by means of education. Catherine received the Freedom of the Borough of South Shields and the Royal Society of Literature's award for the Best Regional Novel of the year. The Variety Club of Great Britain named her Writer of the Year and she was voted Personality of the North-East. She received an honorary degree from the University of Newcastle and was made Dame in 1933. Just shortly before her ninety-second birthday, on June 11, 1998, Catherine died in her home near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. "Kate Hannigan's Girl" (1999), was published posthumously and continues the story of her first novel. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Catherine Cookson
The Round Tower / The Fifteen Streets / A Grand Man / Feathers in the Fire / The Blind Miller (1978) 10 copies
The Mallen Streak / The Girl / The Gambling Man / The Cinder Path / The Invisible Cord (1980) 9 copies
Great Historical Romances: The Talisman Ring + The Gambling Man + The King's Pleasure (1975) 6 copies
The House on the Fens 5 copies
O Rosto do Silêncio 4 copies
My Beloved Son 2 copies
Catherine Cookson Collection 10 Books Set Pack (Feathers in the Fire, The Blind Miller, The Upstart, The Branded Man,… (2010) 2 copies
Evil at Roger s Cross 2 copies
L'ORPHELINE 1 copy
L'uomo che pianse 1 copy
Bailey Chronicles, Vol 2 1 copy
The whip 1 copy
A House Divided 1 copy
The black gown 1 copy
Riptide 1 copy
No title 1 copy
Matty Doolin 1 copy
Catherine Cookson Collection 14 Books Set Pack (Ruthless Need, Obsession, Desert Crop, Lady On My Left, House Divided,… (2011) 1 copy
Catherine Cookson Boxset: The Gambling Man, The Fifteen Secrets, Kate Hannigan and The Unbaited Trap (1978) — Author — 1 copy
Mallen Novels: Mallen Streak, Mallen Girl, Mallen Litter by Catherine Cookson (1994-03-10) (1838) 1 copy
The Smuggler's Secret 1 copy
Rouklaag van Gister 1 copy
Associated Works
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Banker • The Wake of the Storm • The Whip • Inherit the Sun (1983) 5 copies
Biblioteca de Selecciones: El pequeño John Willie | Los Cambistas | ¿Dónde están los niños? | La mujer desnuda (1976) 5 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Winged Escort • Our John Willie • The Bermuda Triangle • The Cheetahs • The… (1970) 4 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Surface with Daring • I Take Thee, Serenity • The Silence of the North • The… (1977) 4 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: To the Hilt • Icon • Point of Impact • The Obsession (1997) 4 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: Dust and Glory • The Gillyvors • Stalk • The White Puma — Author — 3 copies
Reader's Digest Auswahlbücher: Der weisse Hai 2. Mrs. Pollifax auf Safari. Olivers Story. Am Ende der Flut. (1978) — Contributor; Contributor — 3 copies
Valitujen Palojen Tiivistetyt Kirjat - The testament; Fly away home; The Devil's teardrop; The obsession (2001) 2 copies
Livros Condensados: O Inverno do Nosso Descontentamento | O Pequeno John Willie | O Espião Que Veio do Frio | Entre os… — Author — 2 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: The Honey Ant • Sharpe's Rifles • A Gift of Life • The Harrogate Secret (1989) 2 copies
Kirjavaliot - Tyttö ja kartanonherra / Villihanhi / Tulinen tie / Minnie Santangelon kuolemansynti (1977) 1 copy
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: While My Pretty One Sleeps • The Bailey Chronicles • The Negotiator • Prospect (1990) 1 copy
Livros Condensados (Unknown Condensed Books) — Author — 1 copy
La Balsa; Vlucht naar de heuvels; Captain te koop; Ammie, kom naar huis — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Cookson, Catherine
- Legal name
- Cookson, Dame Catherine Ann McMullen
- Other names
- Marchant, Catherine
McMullen, Katie - Birthdate
- 1906-06-20
- Date of death
- 1998-06-11
- Burial location
- Cremated
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Tyne Dock, South Shields, England, UK
- Place of death
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Tyne Dock, County Durham, England, UK
Haldane Terrace, Jesmond, England, UK
Corbridge, Northumberland, England, UK
Langley, Northumberland, England, UK
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England, UK - Occupations
- novelist
historical novelist
romance novelist - Relationships
- Goodwin, Rosie (writes sequels to three of Catherine Cookson's famous trilogies)
- Awards and honors
- British Book Award( [1994])
Order of the British Empire(Dame Commander)
Honorary degree from the University of Newcastle - Agent
- Sheila Land Associates
- Short biography
- Catherine Ann McMullen was born on 27 June 1906 in Tyne Dock, England, UK. She grew up as daugther of Rose and John McMullen, but was the illegitimate daughter of Kate Fawcett, whom she believed to be her older sister, and Alexander Davies, a bigamist. She left school at 13 and, and she began work in service but eventually moved south to Hastings, where she met and Tom Cookson, a local grammar-school master, whom she married on June 1940. She suffered some miscarriages and couldn't have children.
She took up writing as a form of therapy to tackle her depression, and joined Hastings Writers' Group. Her first novel was published in 1950. She wrote almost 100 books, which sold more than 123 million copies, her novels being translated into at least 20 languages. She also wrote books under her childhood name, Katie McMullen, and under the pseudonym Catherine Marchant. After receiving an OBE in 1985, Catherine Cookson was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1993. She was appointed an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1997. She passed away on 11 June 1998 in North East. She remained the most borrowed author from public libraries in the UK for 17 years, losing the title only in 2002, four years after her death.
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 211
- Also by
- 39
- Members
- 9,651
- Popularity
- #2,478
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 124
- ISBNs
- 2,002
- Languages
- 19
- Favorited
- 15
I highly recommend the audible version. The narrator, Susan Jameson, is one of the best narrators I've experienced. From accents to timing, she shined.
It's a shame that more of Cookson's books are not available via audio, but I'm grateful that I came across this one.