Elizabeth Visits America

Elinor Glyn, born Elinor Sutherland, was an English novelist and scriptwriter who pioneered mass-market women's erotic fiction. She coined the use of the word 'It' as a euphemism for sex appeal. Elinor was schooled by her grandmother (a minor French aristocrat) in the ways of upper-class society. This training led her to be considered an authority on style and breeding when she worked in Hollywood in the 1920s. She was the celebrated author of such early 20th century bestsellers as "It," "Three Weeks," "Beyond the Rocks," and other novels which were then considered quite racy. (By the standards of this moment, of course, they're fairly tame stuff -- what's visible now is more Glyn's talent than it is the things she was once known for.) She was also a scriptwriter for early films, and had a brief career as a film director.

In "Elizabeth Visits America," the heroine quarrels with her husband, who departs for Africa to shoot big game. Elizabeth travels to America with friends, visiting New York, Long Island, Philadelphia, and Chicago, then sets out in a private car to the coast and back. Like the author's earlier "The Visits of Elizabeth," the book is told as a series of letters to her mother, describing American people and things.