author

Grace Stebbing

1840–1936

A prolific Victorian writer, she filled family magazines and bookshelves with lively stories for young readers, often blending adventure, history, and clear moral purpose. Though little remembered today, she was once well known enough to be named alongside other accomplished members of her literary family.

1 Audiobook

Gold and glory; or, Wild ways of other days, a tale of early American discovery

Gold and glory; or, Wild ways of other days, a tale of early American discovery

by Grace Stebbing

About the author

Born in London in 1840, she was the eighth child of the Rev. Henry Stebbing, a clergyman, poet, author, and editor. She grew up in a notably literary family that also included the journalist William Stebbing, the zoologist Thomas R. R. Stebbing, and the novelist Beatrice Batty.

Grace Stebbing wrote widely for Victorian family and religious periodicals, including Girl's Own Paper, The Quiver, and The Sunday at Home. She also published dozens of books, especially historical novels, adventure tales, and morally focused stories for younger readers, sometimes using the pseudonym Edward Burton.

Sources about her life describe her as a committed churchwoman who gave a tithe of her earnings to charity. She never married and died in 1936. Modern scholars note that, despite her large body of work and former popularity, she has received surprisingly little sustained attention.