Edith Maude Hull
Edith Maude Hull (also known as E.M. Hull) was a British author born in London.
She wrote The Sheik as her debut novel while her husband served in World War I. Published in 1919, the book became an immediate international bestseller despite—or perhaps because of—its controversial content.
Critics of the time called it "poisonously salacious" and "shocking," and it was banned in some communities.
By 1923, the novel had gone through over one hundred editions, outselling all other bestsellers combined.
The 1921 silent film adaptation starring Rudolph Valentino further cemented its cultural impact, launching both Valentino's career and a subgenre of desert romances.
Hull wrote several sequels and other novels throughout her career.
