The Celebrity (An Episode) (1897) is the first novel that was published by American author Winston Churchill. It was a minor bestseller of 1898. Plot John Crocker has been the friend of the Celebrity, long before he became famous. During a summer retreat at Asquith resort, he runs into the Celebrity, who has taken the identity of another man for anonymity. The Celebrity meets Irene Trevor, the daughter of an Ohio state senator, and asks her to marry him, and she accepts. When a female he perceives as more desirable, Marian Thorn, arrives at Asquith, the Celebrity leaves Miss Trevor without breaking off the engagement. That behavior goes against the moral fiber of the Celebrity's stories. Both women know his true identity as a famous writer and are familiar with his published works. Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke and his wife are wealthy and have a summer retreat of their own named Mohair. The Celebrity leaves Asquith for Mohair to be with Marian Thorn, who is the niece of the Cookes. The slighted Irene Trevor confides in John Crocker that the Celebrity never broke up with her, an action that could be used against him later...