(1825–1900), British novelist. The author of the popular classic ‘Lorna Doone' and 13 other adventure-filled novels, R.D. Blackmore was a fruitgrower who led a quiet life. He was born in Longworth, England. After graduating from Oxford University, Richard Doddridge Blackmore took up law, but ill health forced him to retire from his law practice and become a teacher in a rural area. He gave this up to buy a fruit farm in Teddington, near London. ‘Lorna Doone'—a romantic tale of a girl kidnapped by outlaws—was first published in 1869. It sold poorly until an unfounded rumor arose that it was about the family of the prominent marquis of Lorne. Eventually it became a minor classic. Blackmore died on Jan. 20, 1900, at his home in Teddington. |