Amanda M. Douglas

Born in New York City on July 14, 1831, Amanda Minnie Douglas became a remarkably productive American writer whose career stretched from the 1860s into the early 20th century. She wrote fiction for adults as well as children, and reference sources describe her as especially well remembered for the Little Girl books and the Helen Grant series.

Her first book was the adult novel In Trust (1866), and she went on to publish steadily for decades, often bringing out at least one book a year. Many of her best-known works for younger readers combine family life, friendship, moral growth, and historical settings, which helped make her a familiar name to generations of readers.

Douglas died in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18, 1916. Today, she is remembered as one of the many energetic authors who helped shape popular American reading for girls in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.