E-Books →My Story

The author of such classic mysteries as The Circular Staircase and The Great Mistake, Mary Roberts Rinehart led a life just as riveting as any of her novels. In My Story, she reveals what a full life she led, spanning two centuries of struggles and successes. Born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, she may have garnered fame as a novelist who married and had a family, but she had many more accomplishments. She was a trained nurse, a world traveler, an explorer, a playwright, a war correspondent, and the only woman member of President Herbert Hoover's Land Commission. She met numerous celebrities, from royals and politicians to military generals and movie stars. Rinehart also survived her longtime cook's attempt to murder her and numerous violent and traumatic deaths in her family. Through it all, she persevered to profoundly influence American literature and the nation itself.
Originally published in 1931, My Storywas revised and updated by the author in 1948.