M. I. (Maud Isabel) Ebbutt

Maud Isabel Ebbutt was an English writer and educator born in Croydon, Surrey, on October 8, 1867. Family-history records show that she later worked as a high school teacher and went on to serve as the principal of a boarding school, suggesting a life closely tied to teaching as well as books.

She is best remembered for Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, published in the early 20th century. The book retells well-known heroic stories from Britain and nearby traditions, including figures such as Beowulf and Robin Hood, and it has remained the work most strongly associated with her through library catalogs and public-domain editions.

Ebbutt died on May 11, 1934, in India. Although not much widely documented biographical detail survives, the staying power of her writing comes from its clear, accessible way of introducing classic myths and legends to general readers.