author
Louise Manly
1857–1936
A teacher and textbook writer with deep Southern roots, she is best remembered for surveying the region’s literary history and preserving her family’s story in print. Her work bridges classroom learning, literary history, and genealogy.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Richmond, Virginia, on July 10, 1857, Louise Manly was the daughter of Basil Manly Jr. and Charlotte Whitfield Manly. Reliable biographical records describe her as a teacher and textbook author who was educated in the United States and abroad, and who taught in several parts of the South.
Her best-known book is Southern Literature From 1579-1895, first published in 1895, a wide-ranging study of Southern writing prepared for schools and general readers. She also compiled The Manly Family in 1930, a substantial genealogical history that helped preserve the record of her family and related families.
Manly died on January 2, 1936. Though not widely known today, her books show a lasting interest in education, regional literary culture, and historical memory.