author
M. H. (Mary H.) Maxwell
1815–1891
A 19th-century writer of moral tales, poems, and Sunday-school books, she wrote for young readers with a warm, instructive voice. Her work often centers on character, kindness, temperance, and everyday faith.
1 Audiobook
Be Courteous, or, Religion, the True Refiner
by M. H. (Mary H.) Maxwell
About the author
Mary H. Maxwell, usually published as M. H. Maxwell, was an American 19th-century author listed by major library catalogs as living from 1815 to 1891. Surviving bibliographic records show that she wrote a substantial body of juvenile and religious literature, including stories in verse, short moral narratives, and books for Sunday-school audiences.
Her known works include The Water-Lily, Willie Drew and His School-Mates, A Will and a Way, Be True, Be Courteous, Reuben Ramsay, Sarah Hart, and The Juvenile Annual, or, Holiday Melodies. Several records also link her books with Daniel P. Kidder and Methodist publishing for the Sunday-School Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which suggests that her writing was closely connected with Protestant educational reading for children.
Detailed biographical information about her life appears to be scarce in the readily available sources, so much of her legacy now survives through library catalogs and digital editions rather than full modern biographies. Even so, the titles alone give a strong sense of her aims: to entertain young readers while gently teaching patience, courtesy, honesty, and self-discipline.