A British novelist and scriptwriter – specialising in romantic fiction – Elinor Glynn rose to fame when moving to Hollywood and producing commercially successful films in the 1920s, that pushed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable for women to say to express their sexuality.

The "It" author and screenplay writer classified "It" as a sexual attraction both physical and of the mind, the "quality possessed by some which draws all others". Glyn is credited with being responsible for conceptualising the term "It Girl" – a phrase that continues to be used today.

Elinor Glyn's films and books led to her family building one of the world's first cross-media businesses – which is the focus of Elinor Glyn as Novelist, Moviemaker, Glamour Icon and Businesswoman.

Penned by Bedfordshire's Professor Alexis Weedon and Vincent L. Barrett, and making use of newly-available archive material, the book explores Elinor Glyn's experiences from multiple perspectives including the artistic, legal and financial aspects of the adaptation process.

Professor Weedon, Head of Bedfordshire's Journalism and Communications Department, said:

"Glyn is a fascinating character. I was lucky enough to be there when the archive was donated by the family and to see the potential in the extraordinary wealth of material it contained about her work.

"I really enjoyed producing the book in collaboration with Vince, who as a film and economics scholar designed and researched the book."

The book also provides a new perspective on the development of the British and American media industries, tracing cross-media business practices back to the 1920's, when film was commercialising and radio was the 'new media' of the day.

Elinor Glyn as Novelist, Moviemaker, Glamour Icon and Businesswoman, is available on Kindle and in hardback through www.amazon.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. To request an interview with Professor Weedon, please contact the University of Bedfordshire's press office on 01582 749178 or email press.office@beds.ac.uk

2. The University of Bedfordshire (www.beds.ac.uk) is the largest higher education institution in the county, providing excellent opportunities for more people to access top quality higher education. We aim to create a vibrant multi-cultural learning community enabling people to transform their lives by participating in excellent, innovative education, scholarship and research.

3. The University of Bedfordshire has over 24,000 students, representing over 100 countries. Around 35% of students are aged over 25 and about three-quarters of students receive financial support from the university. Between 2006 and 2013 over £180 million has been invested in new facilities at the university, which contributes approximately £300 million annually to the local economy.

4. For further information, or to receive University of Bedfordshire press releases on a regular basis, please contact: press.office@beds.ac.uk; 01582 749178. Follow us on Twitter: @uobnews