WRITER

Catherine Cookson

1906 - 1998

Photo of Catherine Cookson

Icon of person Catherine Cookson

Dame Catherine Ann Cookson (née McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998), was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while she retained a relatively low profile in the world of celebrity writers. Her books were inspired by her deprived youth in South Shields (historically part of County Durham), North East England, the setting for her novels. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Catherine Cookson has received more than 828,651 page views. Her biography is available in 17 different languages on Wikipedia. Catherine Cookson is the 6,652nd most popular writer (down from 5,853rd in 2019), the 6,051st most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 5,249th in 2019) and the 690th most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 830k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 39.35

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 17

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 1.55

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.55

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

The glass virgin
Fiction, Glass manufacture, Young women
1969
The fifteen streets
Fiction in English, Social classes, Romance
John O'Brien lives in a world where surviving is a continual struggle. He works long hours at the docks to help support his parents' large family. Many other families in the Fifteen Streets have already given up and descended into a dismal state of grinding poverty, but the O'Briens continue to strive for a world they are only rarely allowed to glimpse.Then John O'Brien meets Mary Llewellyn, a beautiful young teacher who belongs to that other world. What begins as a casual conversation over tea quickly blossoms into a rare love that should have been perfect. Fate steps in, however, when John is accused of fathering the child of a local girl, and Mary's parents forbid her to see him. The couple begins to realize that the gulf of the Fifteen Streets between them is a chasm they could never bridge-or might they still find a way?
1952
Kate Hannigan
Catherine Cookson, Fiction, British
***Master of romantic fiction Catherine Cookson is world renowned for her enthralling tales of love that triumphs over impossible odds. In "Kate Hannigan," her very first novel, Catherine Cookson introduces us to the enduring story of her most charismatic heroine.*** **The moment he lays eyes on Kate, Dr. Rodney Prince is enchanted.** He senses in this poverty-stricken patient an intelligence and warmth that's completely unexpected. His own wife, living in the oblivion of velvet cushions and lavish dinner parties, seems crude by comparison. Though they meet only briefly then retreat to their separate worlds, the image of Kate leaves an indelible mark upon his mind. **Rodney knows that Kate's spirit has survived life-long suffering at the hands of men.** Her father, an embittered dock worker, directed his violent rages toward Kate and her mother. At age eighteen Kate fell victim to a smooth-talking seducer and became the unwed mother of a child she later compromised her dignity to support. Such circumstances only deepen Rodney's desire to rescue Kate and overturn the codes of a society that serve to keep them apart. **As the kindhearted Dr. Prince unintentionally wins over the heart of Kate's fatherless daughter, he and Kate begin to acknowledge that the gap between rich and poor might not be so great after all.** ***Available now in the United States, "Kate Hannigan" remains a timeless tribute to romantic love. England's late, great Catherine Cookson has spun the unforgettable tale of a wealthy man caught in a loveless marriage, a young woman trapped in the slums, and their defiance of the mores of Edwardian society.**
1950
Our Kate
Biography, English Novelists, Women and literature
1969
Fanny McBride
Fiction in English
1959
The Mallen streak
Fiction, Fiction in English, Deaf women
1973

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Catherine Cookson ranks 6,652 out of 7,302. Before her are Randall Jarrell, James Weldon Johnson, D. B. Weiss, Patrick Besson, Shirley Ann Grau, and Tom Egeland. After her are Rick Falkvinge, Deborah Feldman, Jessie Redmon Fauset, Kim Thúy, Kristina Ohlsson, and George Clayton Johnson.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1906, Catherine Cookson ranks 433. Before her are S. I. Hayakawa, William Bendix, Máirtín Ó Cadhain, Jim Bausch, Esmond Knight, and Richard van der Riet Woolley. After her are Barbara Jo Allen, Bea Benaderet, Victoria Spivey, Stuart Milner-Barry, Michael O'Shea, and William J. Brennan Jr.. Among people deceased in 1998, Catherine Cookson ranks 319. Before her are Edwin Thompson Jaynes, Barbara Burke, Ruth Clifford, Reidar Kvammen, Muriel Humphrey Brown, and Cliff Barker. After her are Moshood Abiola, Albert Gore Sr., Dane Clark, Fred Wacker, Gene Raymond, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Others Born in 1906

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Others Deceased in 1998

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Catherine Cookson ranks 6,051 out of 8,785. Before her are Lesley Sharp (1960), James Marsh (1963), John Laurie (1897), Antonia Bird (1951), Shaun Murphy (1982), and Charlotte Despard (1844). After her are Henry Cockburn (1921), Mark Millar (1969), Martin Bashir (1963), Frederick Merriman (1873), Tom Kilburn (1921), and Rory Kinnear (1978).

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Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, Catherine Cookson ranks 690. Before her are Louis de Bernières (1954), Mary Russell Mitford (1787), Frederick Denison Maurice (1805), Sheila Jeffreys (1948), Victoria Hislop (1959), and Rose Tremain (1943). After her are James Kelman (1946), Clemence Dane (1888), Thomas Shadwell (1642), Nicholas Monsarrat (1910), Elizabeth Carter (1717), and Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802).

British born Writers

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