Amelia Peabody (c. 1852-?) is a fictional character in a series of mystery novels set in Victorian Egypt and England, written by author Elizabeth Peters. She is married to Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson and has one biological child, Ramses Emerson. Her greatest adversary is the Master Criminal, popularly known by his alias Sethos, who is not exactly who or what he seems. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centres upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... Elizabeth Peters (a pen-name of Barbara Mertz) has written many books in the mystery genre, featuring strong female protagonists and many archaeological connections. ... Radcliffe Emerson is one of the main characters in the Amelia Peabody series by mystery author Elizabeth Peters. ... Ramses Emerson is a fictional character in a series of mystery novels set in Victorian Egypt and England, written by author Elizabeth Peters. ...

Amelia's adventures begin when she is already over thirty and her father dies, leaving her his entire fortune because she embraced the learning her brothers rejected. This enables her to travel to some of the ancient cities that interest her. En route to Egypt, she visits Rome, where she meets her future friend and companion, Evelyn (later also to become her sister-in-law).

Her favorite ruin to explore is a pyramid. She usually carries one of her collection of parasols, which she uses as discreet weapons (including a sword-parasol). She is extraordinarily stubborn, utterly convinced she is right, addicted to romance (although she denies it vehemently), and much more sentimental than she admits to. She is also deeply in love with her husband, and he with her, to the point that the Victorian "typographical euphemism" of three asterisks is used quite frequently to indicate that they had sex. Her husband Radcliffe hates the name "Radcliffe" - his mother's maiden name, and his mother, and Amelia always calls her husband simply "Emerson". A favourite expression of hers is "Another shirt ruined..." because Emerson regularly bursts out of his shirt, either in the course of an adventure or in the throes of passion.

Another feature of the novels is the equalitarian theme, with Amelia and her family being very close to the family of their original Egyptian reis (foreman) Abdullah, to the extent that there is a marriage between Amelia's niece and Abdullah's grandson. Following Abdullah's death, Amelia begins to see him in dreams, where he gives her warnings and advice, further illustrating how close they were. Further on this, Amelia is a proponent of equality between the sexes, and brings up her adopted daughter, Nefret Emerson consequently. Amelia also has no patience with "helpless" women who play on their femininity to manipulate others into doing their will. She is a proponent of rational dress, and often refuses to wear a corset. During the middle and late Victorian period, various reformers proposed, designed, and wore clothing supposedly more rational and comfortable than the fashions of the time. ... Wikimedia Commons has more media related to: Corset Hourglass corset from around 1880. ...

The novels are intended as both parody (mostly of the adventure novel, such as written by H. Rider Haggard), and comedy. In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. ... H. Rider Haggard, author Sir Henry Rider Haggard (June 22, 1856 – May 14, 1925), born in Bradenham, Norfolk, England, was a Victorian writer of adventure novels set in locations considered exotic by readers in his native England. ...

List of Novels

1. Crocodile on the Sandbank (1975)
2. Curse of the Pharaohs (1981)
3. The Mummy Case (1985)
4. Lion in the Valley (1986)
5. Deeds of the Disturber (1988)
6. The Last Camel Died at Noon (1991)
7. The Snake, the Crocodile, and the Dog (1992)
8. The Hippopotamus Pool (1996)
9. Seeing a Large Cat (1997)
10. The Ape Who Guards the Balance (1998)
11. The Falcon at the Portal (1999)
12. He Shall Thunder in the Sky (UK: Thunder in the Sky) (2000)
13. Lord of the Silent (2001)
14. The Golden One (2002)
15. Children of the Storm (2003)
16. Guardian of the Horizon (2004)
17. The Serpent on the Crown (March 2005)
18. Tomb of the Golden Bird (April 2006)