Amy E. Zwemer

Amy E. Zwemer, born Amy Wilkes in 1865, was a missionary nurse and writer who worked in Arabia alongside her husband, Samuel Marinus Zwemer. They married in 1896 and were part of the Arabian Mission, spending years in places including Bahrain while supporting medical and educational work.

She is best remembered for books that brought Arabian settings and customs to children and general readers, including Topsy-Turvy Land: Arabia Pictured for Children and Zigzag Journeys in the Camel Country, both written with Samuel Zwemer. Project Gutenberg also lists her as the author of these works, and later records connect her with Two Young Arabs: Travels of Noorah and Jame as well.

Amy E. Zwemer died in 1937. Though she is less widely known today than her husband, her writing remains a window into how early twentieth-century missionary authors described everyday life, travel, and culture in the Arab world for English-speaking readers.