Antonia Forest (1915–2003)

Antonia Forest was the pen name of Patricia Giulia Caulfield Kate Rubinstein, born in London to an Irish mother and a father of Lithuanian descent. She was educated in London and started work on her first book for young people, Autumn Term, just after the end of World War II; it was published in 1948. She eventually wrote 10 novels featuring the Marlow family and the childrens' various adventures both at Kingscote School and at home, and a further two historical novels about their forebears, as well as The Thursday Kidnapping (1963), which is unrelated. She was a very private person and her identity was kept secret until after her death. Her books enjoy cult status and copies are eagerly sought-after today.