Born in Wiltshire, England on September 27, 1887, Lady Cynthia Asquith would become known for her diaries during World War I. In 1918 she would become the personal secretary to J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan. She stayed in this role until his death in 1937, after which she inherited a good portion of his estate. A writer in her own right, she published novels, biographies, screenplays, short story collections, and works for children.
A popular anthologist, Lady Asquith edited many collections for children. In 1926, Lady Asquith compiled what was widely considered the first literary attempt to collect non-traditional ghost stories in the twentieth century and titled it The Ghost Book. She included authors who were friends, like D.H. Lawrence; literary stars, such as Algernon Blackwood; and included one of her own written under the pseudonym C.L. Ray. She would return to the series 25 years later to compile and edit The Second Ghost Book in 1952 and The Third Ghost Book in 1955. She would write and publish many other works of short fiction until her death on March 30, 1960.
