Bibliography of Books About
Marie Corelli's Life & Works
together with her own non-fiction volumes reflecting her life & opinions
compiled by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
Basham, Diana. The Trial of Woman: Feminism & the Occult Sciences in Victorian Literature & Society. NY: New York University Press, 1992.
Bigland, Eileen: Marie Corelli: The Woman & the Legend. London: Jarrolds, 1953. A mediocre biography revealing a homophobic disdain for the author.
Birkenhead, Sheila. Illustrious Friends. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1965. Chapter on Marie.
Bloom, J. Harvey, ed. The Errors of the Avon Star: Another literary manual for the Stratford-on-Avon season of 1903 Stratford-on-Avon: John Morgan, 1903. Includes Marie's article "The Avon Star."
Boswin, S. The Writings of Marie Corelli. Bombay: Examiner Press, 1907. A small book of only 98 pages deploring Marie's books as inappropriate for Catholics.
Bullock, George. Marie Corelli: The Life & Death of a Best-seller. London: Constable, 1940. Quite a snotty biographical portrait.
Bushnell, George Herbert. From Bricks to Books. London: Grafton, 1949. Includes essay on Marie's furtive origins.
Carr, Kent. Miss Marie Corelli: Bijou Biographies No. VIII. London: Henry J. Drane, 1901. Only 500 copies were printed in a pocket-sized format. This is an affectionate but by no means overly solicitous study of Marie & her works; such care is taken when broaching such topics as the authorship of The Silver Domino that it's evident the author hoped Marie would like this overview even if he mentioned a few things she would rather he not; but in his analysis of Barrabas there are barely polite punches outlined regarding the unusual religiosity & dubious history of it. On the other hand, some of the hyperbolic passages chronicling one after another, for example, what many important people liked her books, are no more than paraphrases of Marie's own words in favor of herself. But overall Kent Carr has succeeded in writing a balanced portrait of the author & analyses of several key works. The editor (who signs "B.B.") notes in the preface that Marie's critics will not like this biography (for failing to smeer the author), but that her legions of admirers will welcome (a fair & reasonable assessment). The publishing firm clearly understood they were bucking the press in failing to be abusive of their subject. There are a few excellent inserted plates showing her & Bertha's home, & a folding plate showing two open pages of one of her books as found in a trench during the Boer War, blood-splattered & with bullet holes. A charming rarity
Coates, T. F. G., & R. S. Warren Bell. Marie Corelli: The Writer & the Woman. London: Hutchinson, 1903; Philadelphia: Jacobs, 1903. A somewhat "devotional" overview of the author, the first & for a very long time the only book on Corelli to look intensely at her works rather than merely at her life.
Corelli, Marie [anonymously published]. The Silver Domino; or, Side Whispers, social and literary. London: Lamley, 1892. Got herself in a bit of trouble insulting a good many people under cover of anonymity in this attempt at sounding superior to the world around her.
Corelli, Marie. Patriotism or Self-Advertisement? London: Greening, 1900; Birmingham: Norton & Neale, © 1900. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie: An Open Letter to His Eminence Cardinal Vaughan, on his "Inhibition" of the late Dr. St. George Mivart. London: Lamley, 1900. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie. The Greatest Queen in the World. A tribute to the Majesty of England. 1837-1900. London: Skeffington, 1900, revised in 1901. Marie's lightweight "political" books are interesting for revealing her fawing sentimentality about royalty, having long promulgated the idea that she was herself Queen Victoria's favorite writer. Her delirious adoration is more or less continued in The Passing of the Great Queen. A tribute to the noble life of Victoria Regina. London: Methuen, 1901; New York: Dodd Mead, 1901. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie: "The Vanishing Gift." An address on the decay of the imagination, delivered before the Philosophical Institution. Edinburgh: Philosophical Institution, 1902. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie. A Christmas Greeting. London: Methuen, 1901; New York: Dodd Mead, 1902. A mix of fiction, nonfiction, & poetry, including essays that address her political & religious feelings, including among the essays "A Question of Faith: Propounded to All Whom it May Concern" "Imaginary Love" "Murmurings of the Avon" "Savage London" besides a couple pieces of her lightly political sucking up to her nation's royals.
Corelli, Marie. The Plain Truth of the Stratford-on-Avon Controversy, concerning the fully-intended demolition of old houses in Henley Street, and the changes proposed to be effected on the national ground of Shakespeare's birthplace. London: Methuen, 1903. Booklet. A central document in understanding Marie's preservationist politics which put her so at odds with developers of the day.
Corelli, Marie. Free Opinions Freely Expressed on Certain Phases of Modern Social Life & Conduct. London: Archibald Constable, 1905; New York: Dodd Mead, 1905.
Corelli, Marie. Woman, or-Suffragette? A question of national choice. London: Arthur Pearson, 1907. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie. Is all well with England? A question. London: Jarrolds, 1917. Booklet; reprinted from The Sunday Companion.
Corelli, Marie. Eyes of the Sea: A tribute to the Grand Fleet & the Grand Fleet's Commander. London: Published for the British & Foreign Sailors' Society; Marshall Bros.: London, 1917. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie. My "little bit." London: Collins, 1919; New York: George H. Doran, 1919. Fifty essays on life, war, politics, women's rights, religion, Shakespeare, & so on.
Corelli, Marie. Praise and Prayer: A simple Home Service. London: Methuen, 1923. Booklet.
Corelli, Marie: Open Confession: To a man from a woman. London: Hutchinson, 1925; New York: Doran, 1925; Toronto: Ryerson, 1925. An autobiographical fiction published posthumously by Bertha Vyver apparently to ward off the many newspaper references to her lesbianism that had not been brought up during her life but was alluded to frequently shortly after her death. This book has often been miscontrued as a factual document (as Bertha perhaps hoped it would be) & certainly it's ideas if not it's specifics may be understood as Marie's philosophy, but it is mainly a sexual-politics tract in the form of an anonymous monolog.
Corelli, Marie, Lady Jeune, Flora Annie Steel, & Susan Countess of Malmesbury. The Modern Marriage Market. London: Hutchinson, 1898; Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1900.
Davies, W. M., compiler. The Marie Corelli Birthday Book. London: Hutchinson, 1897. With original drawings depicting Marie Corelli's heroines by Ernest Prater & G. H. Edwards.
Elsna, Hebe. The Lonely Dreamer. London: Hale, 1961.
Evors, E. M., compiler. The Marie Corelli Calendar: A quotation from the works of Marie Corelli for every day in the year. London: Frank Palmer, 1913.
Federico, Annette R.: Idol of Suburbia : Marie Corelli & late-Victorian literary culture. Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia, 2000. A decidedly feminist & excellent overview of the author & her era. Much the best & most clearsighted analysis of the author's writings, filling a long-lacking need for a LitCrit overview of Marie's actual achievement within its social & political context, & the first really convincing & credible analysis of the press's obsessive hostility for Marie as for her legions of readers.
Jaggard, Gerald: Stratford mosaic: the Shakespeare Club & a medley of memories. London: C. Johnson, 1960. Memories of Marie are included.
Knowles, James. The Corelli Papers. Quarterly broadsheet distributred by the author from 1964 through 1968.
Lee, Sidney, Sir: The alleged vandalism at Stratford-on-Avon. Westminster: Constable, 1903.
Mackay, Annie, compiler. The Beauties of Marie Corelli. London: Redway, 1897.
Manos, Nikki Lee, & Meri-Jane Rochelson, editors. Transforming Genres: New approaches to British fiction of the 1890's. New York: St. Martin's, 1994. Looks at genre fiction including fantasy & detection of the Yellow Nineties, including works of Marie Corelli.
Masters, Brian. How Barabbas Was a Rotter: The Extraordinary Life of Marie Corelli. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1978. A venomously queeny completely bitchy overview of Marie Corelli's life, obviously envied by Masters who truly lashes out rather freakishly.
Miller, Henry: Gliding into the Everglades, & other essays. Lake Oswego, OR : Lost Pleiade Press, 1977. 250 copies of this trade paperback were specially bound in hardcover. Includes an excellent essay on Marie Corelli.
Murray, David Christie: My contemporaries in fiction. Norwood, PA: Norwood Editions, 1977. Including on Corelli.
Murray, Henry: Robert Buchanan; a critical appreciation, & other essays. London: Wellby, 1901. Ten essays, one on Marie Corelli.
Ransom, Teresa: Miss Marie Corelli, Queen of Victorian Bestsellers. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 1999. An excellent biography & only the second book (after Reverand William Stuart Scott's) to address Bertha & Marie's de facto marriage with neither prejudice nor disbelief.
Scott, William Stuart. Marie Corelli: The Story of a Friendship. London: Hutchinson, 1955. The "Friendship" of the subtitle is his family's with Marie & Bertha, & theirs with each other. An affectionate, honest assessment of the author, her work, & her sweety Bertha. Reverand Scott is also very sweetly comical about things, & by his humor may well have offended Marie without meaning to, had she still been alive. In stating forthright that her & Bertha's relationship was "of the Damian & Pythias type" he was clearly telling more than he was supposed to, but he is accepting, non-jugemental, & with abject kindness to her memory honest about who she was. The book is really the best potrait of Marie left by anyone who knew her extremely well, & it counters well all the scathing potraits rendered by people who did not know her except through press cuttings.
"S.W.W." [author/editor not otherwise identified]. Catalogue of an Exhibition of Books, Manuscripts, Letters, Photographs, & other items relating to Marie Corelli in her former home, Mason Croft, Stratford-upon-Avon, now the Shakespeare Institute. Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare Institute, 1964. Booklet.
Vyver, Bertha. Memoirs of Marie Corelli. London: Alston Rivers, 1930. 250 signed & numbered copies. A lovingly personal & understandably over-protective memoir. With an epilogue by J. Cuming Walters.
Watson, E. H. Lacon. Lectures on Dead Authors and other essays. Ln: Associated Faculty Press, 1927. Chapter on Marie.
West, Rebecca. The Strange Necessity: Essays & Reviews. London: Jonathan Cape, 1928; New York: Doubleday Doran, 1928. Chapter-essay entitled "The Tosh Horse" is kindly disposed toward Marie Corelli.
You may also have cause to refer to the
Marie Corelli Filmography
about all the films based on some of her books; as well my essay on
The Life & Gothic Tales of Marie Corelli
& of course the
Bibliography of Marie's Gothic & Occult Fiction
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