A local newspaper had advertised for readers to send in short stories, so Mary wrote three and saw all three published making one dollar apiece. At the age of fifteen, while her mother was ill and her father was on the road as a salesman, Mary decided to assist the family fortunes by trying to sell some of the stories she had written. Later, a friend of hers died from illness. She was some months recovering from her injuries. Mary had an accident while attending an exposition in Pittsburgh when a balcony collapsed. Along with most families of that day, Mary’s parents, Tom and Cornelia Roberts, could not completely protect their children from the hardships of 19th century life. But this little lady, with much gumption and vigor had other ideas. It has since become part of Pittsburgh proper and those homes have become small theaters and museums, some featuring Rinehart’s work.Īs a child, Mary was raised with the most strict ethics and etiquette of the time, to be a lady. At that time Allegheny was quite a lovely neighborhood of Victorian homes on the north end of Pittsburgh.

Mary Roberts Rinehart was born Mary Ella Roberts on Augin the town of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Rinehart also wrote many short stories and an autobiography, but is most famous for her mystery novels. She had one long-running box office hit in the play, “The Bat” which ran from 1920 on for years, and was made into a silent film in 1926. Rinehart is the author of the famous “Tish” stories that were published in the Saturday Evening Post beginning in 1911 and continuing as a serial for over 20 years. Her books were often best-sellers and she is called the “Agatha Christie” of the United States for her many, humorous mystery novels. This status comes not only from income derived from book sales, but magazine articles, short stories, and plays.

Mary Roberts Rinehart was the highest paid author in the United States during the first fifty years of the 20th Century.

The swimming pool mary roberts rinehart