M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield

Born in 1871, M. F. Mansfield was an American writer whose full name was Milburg Francisco Mansfield. Public-domain library records identify him as a prolific author of travel and place-writing, and note that he also published under the pseudonym Francis Miltoun.

His books explored cathedrals, castles, old cities, and touring routes, with titles on northern and southern France, the Rhine, Normandy, Brittany, Provence, Ireland, and North Africa. Many of these works were written in the early automobile age, which gives them a special charm today: they mix history, architecture, and local color with the excitement of modern travel.

Mansfield is also linked to the writer and artist Blanche McManus, who is described in reliable reference sources as his wife and collaborator on a number of illustrated travel books. He died in 1943, leaving behind a body of work that still appeals to readers who enjoy classic travel writing and richly described historic places.