Edric Vredenburg

Born in Pará, Brazil, on March 29, 1860, Edric Walcott Vredenburg became a British writer, journalist, and editor whose work was closely tied to popular reading for young audiences. Reliable catalog and library records place him in the long-running world of children's publishing, and several sources identify him as a former lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion of the Essex Regiment before he turned more fully to writing and editorial work.

Vredenburg is best remembered for fairy tales, story collections, songs, and verse for children. He edited and retold books such as My Book of Favourite Fairy Tales and is also associated with The Seven Plaits of Nettles and many other juvenile volumes. His work for Raphael Tuck & Sons helped bring classic tales and brightly illustrated gift books to a wide readership in Britain and beyond.

He died in 1941. Although not as widely known today as some of the writers whose tales he retold, he played an important part in making traditional stories inviting and readable for generations of young listeners and readers.