Claude Askew (1865–1917) was a British novelist who achieved recognition during the early twentieth century through a highly productive literary partnership with his wife, Alice Askew. Born on November 27, 1865, Claude collaborated closely with Alice, who was born Alice Leake in 1874. Together, the husband-and-wife writing team became prominent figures in the Edwardian and World War I-era literary market, generating a massive volume of popular fiction.
The couple's joint writing career flourished between 1904 and 1918, a period during which they co-authored more than ninety novels. To reach a wide audience, many of their collaborative works were published in inexpensive sixpenny and sevenpenny series, making their stories highly accessible to the general public. This prolific output came to an end when both Claude and Alice Askew died on October 6, 1917. Despite their tragic and premature deaths, their published works continued to circulate, with publications extending into 1918.