author
Lady Katie Magnus
1844–1924
A lively Victorian writer and community worker, she helped make Jewish history and tradition accessible to young readers and general audiences. Her books paired storytelling with education, and her public work was closely tied to Jewish charitable life in Britain.
2 Audiobooks
Jewish Portraits
by Lady Katie Magnus
Outlines of Jewish History from B.C. 586 to C.E. 1885
by Lady Katie Magnus
About the author
Born in Portsmouth in 1844, Katie Magnus, later Lady Magnus, was a British Jewish author and communal worker. She wrote widely on Jewish subjects, and reference sources consistently note her role in communal and charitable organizations as well as her long interest in education.
She is especially remembered for books such as Outlines of Jewish History, which remained well known for many years, along with other writing for younger readers and general audiences. After her marriage to Philip Magnus, she became Lady Magnus, and later accounts describe the couple as prominent figures in Anglo-Jewish public life.
Contemporary and later reference works also connect her with the Berkeley Street Synagogue, the Jews' Deaf and Dumb Home, and the Jewish Girls' Club. She died in 1924, leaving a body of writing that combined historical interest, religious education, and a strong sense of communal responsibility.