M. H. (Mabel Henrietta) Spielmann

Born in Liverpool in 1862, Mabel Henrietta Spielmann was a British author who published as M. H. Spielmann. She wrote stories for children as well as books connected with literature and art, showing an unusually broad set of interests.

She is especially remembered for The Rainbow Book: Tales of Fun & Fancy, a collection of fairy tales and imaginative stories that helped build her reputation as a children's writer. Records connected with her work also show that she wrote about Charlotte Brontë and about art history, giving her career a reach well beyond nursery reading.

Spielmann was married to the art critic Marion Harry Alexander Spielmann, and her life moved in literary and artistic circles. She died in 1938, leaving behind work that still appeals to readers drawn to classic children's fantasy and the richly illustrated books of the period.