Barbara Mertz was best known for her mystery and suspense novels, including the Amelia Peabody book series.
11 Facts About Barbara Mertz
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Barbara Mertz was born on September 29,1927, in Canton, Illinois.
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Barbara Mertz graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor's degree in 1947, a master's degree in 1950, and a PhD in Egyptology in 1952, having studied with John A Wilson.
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Barbara Mertz was married to Richard Mertz for 19 years ; the marriage ended in divorce.
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Barbara Mertz's publisher chose that pseudonym since Mertz had already published one non-fiction book on ancient Egypt, and the publisher did not want Mertz's novels to be confused with her academic work.
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Under the pseudonym Elizabeth Peters, Barbara Mertz published mysteries, including her Amelia Peabody historical mystery series, using a nom de plume drawn from the names of her two children.
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Barbara Mertz was a feminist, a topic that frequently arose in her fiction, and in her professional life.
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Barbara Mertz died at her home in Maryland on August 8,2013.
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Barbara Mertz's papers are held at the Lilly Library, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
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Barbara Mertz received a number of award wins and nominations from the mystery community.
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Barbara Mertz was the recipient of a number of grandmaster and lifetime achievement awards, including being named Grandmaster at the Anthony Awards in 1986 and Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America in 1998; in 2003, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Malice Domestic Convention.