‘I simply write it to order’: L. T. Meade, Sisters of Sherlock, and the Strand Magazine

Abstract

Clare Clarke’s essay illuminates the adroit professionalism of the Irish author, journalist, and editor L. T. Meade (1844–1914) in the context of the extensive catalogue of detective fiction she contributed to the Strand Magazine (1891–1950). Meade’s foray into the detective genre followed an enormously successful period of writing novels for girls, as well as a stint at editing the girls’ magazine Atalanta (1887–98). As Clarke demonstrates, this radical departure from her literary focus on girls’ print culture is indicative of Meade’s ‘market acuity, her ability to produce precisely those genres which were in demand by periodical editors–in her own terms, her ability to give a literary editor “what his public want[s]”’ (p. 474). Meade’s talent for tapping into market trends and producing copy that catered to the tastes of readers ultimately secured her position as a regular contributor in the male-dominated Strand Magazine.