author
Elizabeth Ida Samuel
b. 1860
Best known for early 20th-century books that turn metals and industry into lively stories for young readers, this author wrote clear, practical nonfiction with an educational bent. Her surviving work suggests a talent for making big subjects feel approachable.
1 Audiobook
The story of iron
by Elizabeth Ida Samuel
About the author
Elizabeth Ida Samuel was an early 20th-century writer whose known books include The Story of Gold and Silver and The Story of Iron. Available catalog records connect her with books on the history and uses of important materials, and those works were published by Penn Publishing Company in the 1910s and 1920s.
What stands out in her bibliography is its focus on explaining the wider world in simple, engaging terms. The Story of Gold and Silver presents the history and significance of precious metals, while The Story of Iron was later described by Project Gutenberg as a children’s book centered on a boy learning responsibility at his uncle’s foundry, blending storytelling with practical knowledge.
Reliable biographical details about her life are scarce in the sources I could confirm, so it is safest to remember her as a writer of educational, youth-friendly nonfiction rather than attach uncertain personal facts. I wasn’t able to verify a suitable portrait image from the pages I checked.