E.D.E.N. Southworth is the pen name of an American author and journalist. Southworth (born Edith Douglas in 1874) was a prolific writer in both fiction and nonfiction, producing over 100 books during her lifetime, including historical romances, westerns, mysteries and biographies. Her works were read by millions of readers in the United States and abroad and contributed to the popularity of the western genre in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
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She has been credited with creating the "new woman" character that would come to dominate romantic fiction for generations to come. She also introduced into fiction the ranching idea that later became a staple story line in western movies such as The Virginian (1929) and The Searchers (1956).