E. (Edith) Nesbit
1 book in the library
Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) was an English writer of children’s books, poetry and fiction for adults, born in Kennington, south London. In 1880 she married Hubert Bland, and the two were among the founding members of the socialist Fabian Society in 1884. Writing at first to support her household, she found her real gift in stories for children, beginning with The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1899), about the Bastable children. It was followed by Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), The Railway Children (1906) and The Enchanted Castle (1907). Her children are believable, quarrelsome and funny, and she mixed everyday family life with magic in a way that influenced writers from C. S. Lewis onwards. She spent her last years on the Kent coast, where she died in 1924.
