avg_rating: 4.13
name: Mary M. Luke
about: Mary Luke was a biographer who wrote about Tudor and Elizabethan figures. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mrs. Luke, whose original name was Mary Munger, graduated from Berkshire Business School and worked in advertising in New York, and later for a documentary film company and RKO Studios in Hollywood.  Mrs. Luke wrote "Catherine, the Queen" (1967), a portrait of Henry VIII's hapless first wife, Catherine of Aragon. "A Crown for Elizabeth" (1970) limned the turbulent years between 1527, when Henry maneuvered for a divorce from Catherine for lack of a male heir, and 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.In a review of "A Crown for Elizabeth" for The New York Times, Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, "To the sympathetic retelling of histo Mary Luke was a biographer who wrote about Tudor and Elizabethan figures. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mrs. Luke, whose original name was Mary Munger, graduated from Berkshire Business School and worked in advertising in New York, and later for a documentary film company and RKO Studios in Hollywood.  Mrs. Luke wrote "Catherine, the Queen" (1967), a portrait of Henry VIII's hapless first wife, Catherine of Aragon. "A Crown for Elizabeth" (1970) limned the turbulent years between 1527, when Henry maneuvered for a divorce from Catherine for lack of a male heir, and 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.In a review of "A Crown for Elizabeth" for The New York Times, Lady Antonia Fraser wrote, "To the sympathetic retelling of history, Mrs. Luke has made a notable contribution and one that will give much pleasure to its readers.""The Nine Days Queen: A Portrait of Lady Jane Grey" (1986) told the story of Jane Grey's brief hold on the scepter in July 1553 and her subsequent martyrdom. Mrs. Luke also wrote a novel, "The Nonsuch Lure" (1976), and "The Ivy Crown: A Biographical Novel of Queen Katherine Paar" (1984).She died in 1993 at 74 and lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut. ...more
death_date: 1993-11-24 00:00:00