Eleanor Atkinson

Before becoming known as a novelist, she worked as a teacher and then as a journalist in Chicago, where she wrote for the Chicago Tribune under the pen name Nora Marks. She later teamed up with her husband, Francis Blake Atkinson, in publishing work, adding another side to a career that moved easily between newspapers, books, and children's literature.

Her best-known book is Greyfriars Bobby (1912), the beloved story of a loyal dog that has stayed in print for generations and inspired film adaptations. She also wrote historical and biographical works, including books connected to Abraham Lincoln and the story of Chicago, showing a talent for making the past feel approachable to general readers.

Born Eleanor Stackhouse in Rensselaer, Indiana, in 1863, she died in 1942. Today she is remembered as a versatile American writer whose books ranged from heartfelt fiction to popular history, with a gift for clear, inviting storytelling.