Born Alice Mary Norton on February 17, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio, she legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton in 1934. She attended the Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve) for a year then took evening courses in journalism and writing that were offered by Cleveland College, the adult division of the same university. Norton was a librarian for the Cleveland Library System then a reader at Gnome Press. After that position, she became a full-time writer. She is most noted for writing fantasy, in particular the Witch World series. Her first book The Prince of Commands was published in 1934. Other titles include Ralestone Luck, Magic in Ithkar, Voorloper, Uncharted Stars, The Gifts of Asti and All Cats are Gray. Her works have earned her a reputation as one of Sciene Fiction-Fantasy's most reknown female author. She was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and the Nebula Grand Master Award. Among numerous other awards, she has also receive a Phoenix Award for overall writing achievement, a Jules Verne Award, a Science Fiction Book Club Book of the Year Award for her title The Elvenbane and in 1997 she was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Andre Norton died on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2005.
