author
Margery Closey Quigley
b. 1886
A librarian and children's writer, she helped create warm, memorable books for young readers under the shared pen name Margery Clark. Her work also reflected a deep, practical knowledge of library life, including a nonfiction book that was later adapted into a film.
1 Audiobook
Index to Kindergarten Songs Including Singing Games and Folk Songs
by Margery Closey Quigley
About the author
Born in 1886, Margery Closey Quigley was an American librarian and author whose career joined public service with writing. She worked in libraries in New York and New Jersey, including long service at the Montclair Free Public Library, and became known both as a library leader and as a writer about books, reading, and library work.
She is best remembered as one half of Margery Clark, the shared pseudonym used by Quigley and fellow librarian Mary E. Clark. Together they wrote children's books, including The Poppy Seed Cakes, a well-known 1924 title. Quigley also wrote Portrait of a Library (1936), a book drawn from her professional experience that was adapted into a film.
Her story is especially appealing because it shows how closely librarianship and storytelling can belong together. Whether writing for children or for readers interested in how libraries work, she brought the same sense of care, order, and imagination.