Octagon Magic

17 February 1912 – 17 March 2005

Andre Norton was born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of rug company owner and his wife. She began writing while she was in high school, and she was the editor of a literary page in the school's paper. She also wrote her first novel, Ralestone Luck, which was published in 1938. Her first published novel was The Prince Commands (1934). She graduated from high school in 1930 and began studying teaching at Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University. In 1932 she dropped out early due to economic conditions and began working for the Cleveland Library System. In 1934, she legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton, the pen name she had adopted to increase…