Anne Manning

Born in London on February 17, 1807, Anne Manning was an English novelist who built a remarkably large body of work during the 19th century. Sources credit her with 51 works, and contemporary descriptions of her writing emphasize its antiquarian flavor, literary charm, and delicate historical imagination.

She is especially associated with historical fiction that brings well-known figures into domestic, intimate focus. Among her best-known books are The Maiden and Married Life of Mary Powell, afterwards Mistress Milton—centered on the young wife of John Milton—and The Household of Sir Thomas More, an imagined diary of More’s daughter Margaret. Several of her most popular works first appeared as serials before being published in book form.

Manning died on September 14, 1879. Although not as widely read today as some of her Victorian contemporaries, her novels remain of interest for their warm, accessible way of blending historical fact with storytelling.