Amelia B. Edwards

Born in London in 1831, Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards showed literary talent early and went on to build a successful career as a novelist and journalist. She is especially remembered by readers of fiction for works including Barbara's History and the much-anthologized ghost story The Phantom Coach.

A turning point came after her travels in Egypt in the 1870s. Her book A Thousand Miles up the Nile helped spark wide popular interest in ancient Egypt, and she became an energetic public speaker and advocate for the study and protection of Egyptian antiquities.

In her later years, she helped found the Egypt Exploration Fund and supported the growth of Egyptology as a serious field of study. That mix of vivid writing, curiosity, and public-minded scholarship is a big part of why she is still remembered today.