Elsie Lee

Elsie Lee (née Williams) was an American author of over 35 fiction and non-fiction books.

Elsie Williams was born in Brooklyn, New York to Helen (Bogert) and Samuel Byron Williams, Jr. Samuel was a telephone engineer. Helen was a housewife. When Elsie was 13 years old a brother, David G. Williams, was born.

Elsie began cooking at age 8, attended Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA from 1928-1932, and attended the Pratt Institute from 1932-33.

Elsie married Morton Lee on December 27, 1941. She was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Authors Guild of Authors League of America, and Mensa. Her interests included cats, cooking, music, bridge, two-pack solitaire games, word games, and jigsaw puzzles.

Elsie worked as a librarian, an office manager, an executive secretary (all in New York City), and as a writer from 1945 until her death. She mentions in *Elsie Lee's Book of Simple Gourmet Cookery* that she lived in Washington for six years, and Hollywood for three.

Elsie began writing in the 1940s, selling her first stories to the *Ladies Home Journal*. She described her writing this way: "I write fairy tales for grownups, principally women... I am better at characterizations than plots, and best with cats who are unanimously adored by my readers... I will not compromise on the quality of vocabulary and grammar in my books... it is a writer's responsibility to TEACH subtly through entertainment..."

Elsie Williams Lee died February 8, 1987 at the age of 75 while living in New York City. *-- adapted from Wikipedia*