The Hollow Hills

A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Stewart, one of the most popular novelists writing today, was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England. Her father was a clergyman of the Church of England, her mother a descendant of the first New Zealand pioneers.

After boarding-school, she received a B.A. with first class honours in English Language and Literature from Durham University and went on for her M.A. Later she returned to her own University as a Lecturer in English. She married a geologist, F. H. Stewart, who is now Regius Professor of Geology at Edinburgh University and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is Chairman of the Natural Environment Research Council and a member of the Advisory Board of the Research Councils.

Mrs. Stewart's career as a novelist began in 1954 with the publication of Madam, Will You Talk? Since then she has published thirteen successful novels, including The Crystal Cave and The Hollow Hills, her two magical books about the legendary enchanter Merlin and the young Arthur. Her first book for young readers, The Little Broomstick, was published in 1971 and quickly met with the same success as her other novels. In 1968, she was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 1971, the Scottish Chapter of the International PEN Association awarded her the Frederick Niven prize for The Crystal Cave.