Because of the unrivaled popularity of her novels from 1886 to 1924, Marie Corelli (pseudonym for Mary "Minnie" MacKay) demands attention of both social and literary historians. Full and accurate sales comparisons do not exist for the late nineteenth century, but it appears from what sources there are that she ranked as the best-selling writer in the world for about thirty years. Only about half of her novels proved to be best-sellers, but her works succeeded one another so rapidly that she never lost the attention of the public. In his detailed biography of Corelli, Brian Masters reports from his research impressive figures on the sales of several of her works. During every year of her career, her publishers sold over 100,000 copies of her books. (Her nearest competitor, Hall Caine, at the height of his career sold 45,000 copies; Mrs. Humphry Ward, the third most popular novelist, averaged in her best...