Born: 1889, United States
Died: 1971
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
Marjorie Hillis wrote popular nonfiction books for women in the 1930s. As a young woman, Hillis went to work for Vogue magazine, eventually becoming assistant editor. In 1936 at age 47, she published the bestseller Live Alone and Like It, an advice book for young women on how to live independently. Rebranded the single woman as powerful, chic and savvy “live-aloners” rather than “spinsters”, the book highlighted the benefits of living alone. “Even going to bed alone can be alluring. There are many times, in fact, when it’s by far the most alluring way to go”, she wrote. In 1937 she published another bestseller, Orchids on Your Budget: Live Smartly on What You Have, in which she offered hypothetical “cases” that encouraged women to match their goals with their financial means. Her mother, Annie Louise Patrick Hillis (1862-1930), was also a published author