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105 year old romantic author talks of 123 novel career

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Ida Pollock

Born

in Lewisham, London, England, The United Kingdom

April 12, 1908

Died

December 05, 2013

Genre

Romance, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction

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Ida Crowe was born on 12 April 1908 in Lewisham, Kent, England, UK, the daughter of a single mother and a unknown father, who rumoured to be a Russian duke, who her mother met at a ball in Greenwich. Ida narrowly escaped being smothered with a pillow by the nurse who attended her birth. As a teenager, she travelled alone to Morocco, after suffering a mental breakdown. From the age of ten, she knew she wanted to write. She began to write while still at school encouraged by her mother, with whom she lived in Hastings.

Writing fiction since her very early teens, setting her first publication, Palanquins and coloured lanterns, in 1920's Shanghai and she had several stories in major magazines and short novels in print. When at 20, she visited the Ida Crowe was born on 12 April 1908 in Lewisham, Kent, England, UK, the daughter of a single mother and a unknown father, who rumoured to be a Russian duke, who her mother met at a ball in Greenwich. Ida narrowly escaped being smothered with a pillow by the nurse who attended her birth. As a teenager, she travelled alone to Morocco, after suffering a mental breakdown. From the age of ten, she knew she wanted to write. She began to write while still at school encouraged by her mother, with whom she lived in Hastings.

Writing fiction since her very early teens, setting her first publication, Palanquins and coloured lanterns, in 1920's Shanghai and she had several stories in major magazines and short novels in print. When at 20, she visited the George Newnes's office in London, to sold her her first full-length manuscript. Three months later, she discovered that they had lost her manuscript. After they found it, she returned to London to met one of its editors, the 39 year old Hugh Alexander Pollock (1888–1971), a distinguished veteran of World War I. Hugh had been married since 1924 to his second wife, the popular children's writer Enid Blyton, with whom he had two daughters Gillian Mary (1931–2007) and Imogen Mary (born 1935). Hugh was divorced from his first wife, Marion Atkinson, with whom he had two sons; William Cecil Alexander (1914–1916) and Edward Alistair (1915–1969). George Newnes bougth her manuscript, and contract her to wrote two other novels.

In the dark days at the beginning of World War II, Ida worked at hostel for girls in London through the Blitz. Hugh, who had left publishing to join the army, was Commandant of a school for Home Guard officers, and his second marriage was in difficulties. They has a chance encounter after a long time, and feeling Ida should be out of London, he offered her a post as civilian secretary at the army training centre in the Surrey Hills. She accepted, and as the months went by their relationship intensified. During a bungled firearms training session Hugh was hit by shrapnel on a firing range, and Ida had contact with Enid, but she declined go to visit her husband in Dorking, because she was so busy and hated the hospitals. On May 1942, during a visit to her mother's home in Hastings, a bomb destroyed the house. Ida escaped unhurt, but her mother was in hospital for two weeks. Hugh, who was sent overseas, paid for Ida to stay in smart London hotel Claridges, and decided to divorce his wife, who in 1941 met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters and had begun a relationship with him. To get a quick divorce, Hugh blamed himself for adultery at divorce petition. On 26 October 1943, Ida married with Hught at London's Guildhall register office, six days after Enid's marriage with Darrell Waters. In 1944, they had a daughter Rosemary Pollock, also a romance writer. Enid changed the name of their daughters, and Hugh did not see them again, although Enid had promised access as part of his taking the blame for the divorce.

After the World War II, George Newnes, Hugh's old firm, decided not to work with him anymore. They also represented Enid Blyton and were not willing to let her go. After this the marriage experienced financial problems and, in 1950, Hugh had to declare bankruptcy while he struggled with alcoholism. A determined Ida plunged back into her literary work, and decided to write popular contemporary romances, she sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1952. Being in print with several major international publishers at the same time, she decided to use multiple pseudonyms. At that time, the pseudonyms were registered by the publishers and not by the writers. In the 1950s she wrote as Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Rose Burghley, and Mary Whistler to Mills & Boon, as Averil Ives and Barbara Rowan to Ward Lock, as Anita Charles to Wright & Brown, as Jane Beaufort to Collins. With the production of ten or twelve titles in every year, it was not long before she becoming hugely popular r ...more

Combine Editions
Ida Pollock’s books

Average rating: 2.87 · 1,024 ratings · 242 reviews · 83 distinct works • Similar authors

	A Case of Heart Trouble by Susan Barrie (Pseudonym), Ida Pollock 3.23 avg rating — 39 ratings — published 1962 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wild Sonata by Susan Barrie (Pseudonym), Ida Pollock 3.10 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 1968 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Four Roads to Windrush by Susan Barrie (Pseudonym), Ida Pollock 3.63 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 1957 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sir Faintheart liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Starlight: a Memoir it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lady in Danger 2.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 1967 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Country Air it was ok 2.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1970 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Summer Conspiracy 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1969	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Gentle Masquerade 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1964 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Uneasy Alliance 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1965	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Ida Pollock…

Series by Ida Pollock

Timeline (1 book)
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Ida Pollock

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Quotes by Ida Pollock (?)

“A romance is never just a romance, there's adventure, mystery and movement.

You need a grand, dramatic setting - the Swiss Alps were always an personal favourite of mine - and a chance meeting, on a train, a cruise, or perhaps the hero and heroine find themselves shipwrecked on a desert island.

The men are normally rich, well-to-do - but never vulgar with their money. Young men lack the maturity to take control so an older man is essential to provide the reassurance the heroine's needs.

There's always a fair amount of turbulence before he sweeps in to save the day. A happy ending is an absolute must.”
― Ida Pollock

tags: writing

2 likes

“I think I was born to write. My mother would put a typewriter on the dining room table and say "there you go".

My first story was published in the Christian Herald and they would pay me five guineas. I wrote my first novel when I was just 14.

I was into mysteries and thrillers at the time but I eventually I drifted into romance because my mother would always ask me to write 'something pretty'.

I've never got bored of it because its something I absolutely love. My books are full of hope and romance rather than sex.

They are a form of escapism - you can escape the parts of the world that you don't like.”
― Ida Pollock

tags: writing

1 likes

Polls

What is your favorite pseudonym by Ida Crowe Pollock?

Susan Barrie

11 votes 28.9%

All

7 votes 18.4%

Joan M. Allen

4 votes 10.5%

Pamela Kent

3 votes 7.9%

Rose Burghley

3 votes 7.9%

Averil Ives

2 votes 5.3%

Anita Charles

2 votes 5.3%

Ida Pollock

2 votes 5.3%

Marguerite Bell

2 votes 5.3%

Jane Beaufort

1 vote 2.6%

Mary Whistler

1 vote 2.6%

Barbara Rowan

0 votes 0.0%

38 total votes

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Historical Fictio...: Last Letter	8423	2099	Oct 24, 2025 03:17AM

Ida Pollock’s Followers (7)

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Ida Pollock

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