Marjorie Hillis worked for Vogue magazine for more than 20 years. She was part of a growing number of independent professionals who lived alone by personal choice. In 1936 she wrote The Pleasure of Living Alone, the guide for "single women" (who became known as 'livealoners'); the book was an instant bestseller. Three years after the book's publication, at the age of 49, Hillis lovingly bade farewell to singleness, marrying T. H. Roulston.