Louise Manly

Louise Manly (1857–1936) was an American author and historian whose work centered on Southern literature, Alabama history, and education. She is best remembered for Southern Literature From 1579–1895, first published in 1895, a wide-ranging study that brought together literary history, criticism, and excerpts from Southern writers for students and general readers.

Records of her published work show a broad range of interests. In addition to Southern Literature From 1579–1895, she wrote History of Judson College and educational history titles such as A History of Alabama for Children and Lee’s Advanced School History of the United States. She also compiled The Manly Family, a genealogical history published in 1930.

Although detailed biographical information is not easy to confirm from the sources reviewed here, her bibliography shows a writer deeply engaged with the cultural and historical life of the South. Her books remain useful today as windows into how Southern literature and history were studied and presented in her era.