ILP Secures Mary Wesley Estate

International Literary Properties (ILP) has acquired the Mary Wesley estate and will manage the rights to her body of work.

Four of Wesley’s books have previously been adapted for film and television, including Jumping the Queue, The Camomile Lawn, Harnessing Peacocks and The Vacillations of Poppy Carew. ILP has already begun a program to reinvigorate Wesley’s work globally.

Wesley is famous for her sharp wit and modern approach to sexuality in her writing, and she famously published her first novel at age 70.

Wesley was born in 1912 and passed in 2002, leaving her estate to her son Toby Eady and his wife, journalist and author Xinran Xue.

Xue said: “Mary was an incredible woman, an extraordinary author and a very close member of my family. It is really important for me to follow my darling husband Toby’s wishes. Toby would have wanted Mary’s legacy to continue to be recognized by future generations. I know that the ILP team will protect and nurture Mary’s work and I am very much looking forward to working with them and being part of the exciting plans they have for her literary legacy.”

Hilary Strong, CEO for the UK and EMEA at ILP, added: “Mary Wesley’s books hold a special place in my heart, and so I am delighted to welcome the estate of Mary Wesley into ILP’s portfolio of literary IP. Wesley’s works took the literary world by storm and brought an unapologetically eccentric and refreshing perspective that was unlike anything else. We look forward to working closely with Xinran as well as Wesley’s literary agent, Veronique Baxter, her publishers, and her fans, to uphold and enhance her legacy.”