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Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby
1842–1940
A Shetland-born writer and folklorist, she spent decades preserving island stories, customs, and way of life in books for both children and adults. Her work helped bring the character of Shetland to readers far beyond the islands.
1 Audiobook
Viking Boys
by Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby
About the author
Born in Unst, Shetland, in 1842, she became known as a Scottish author, storyteller, and collector of local tradition. Writing as Jessie M. E. Saxby, she published widely across a long career and is especially remembered for books that drew on Shetland life, history, and folklore.
Her writing ranged from fiction and children's books to sketches of island customs and retellings of traditional tales. That mix of imagination and local knowledge made her an important voice in keeping Shetland culture visible in print.
She lived until 1940, leaving behind a body of work closely tied to the place she knew best. Readers coming to her today often find both a lively storyteller and a valuable witness to everyday life and legend in the northern isles.