author
Maria J. (Maria Jane) McIntosh
1803–1878
A once-popular 19th-century American novelist, she wrote domestic fiction and moral tales that reached readers on both sides of the Atlantic. She first published under the pseudonym “Aunt Kitty,” building stories around family life, character, and conscience.
2 Audiobooks
Evenings at Donaldson Manor; Or, The Christmas Guest
by Maria J. (Maria Jane) McIntosh
Aunt Kitty's Tales
by Maria J. (Maria Jane) McIntosh
About the author
Born in Sunbury, Georgia, in 1803, Maria Jane McIntosh became an American writer whose books were widely read in the mid-1800s. After moving to New York in 1835 and losing much of her financial security in the Panic of 1837, she turned seriously to literature and began publishing stories for young readers under the name "Aunt Kitty."
She went on to write novels, tales, and essays, and her work found an audience in both the United States and Britain. Her fiction is often described as moral and sentimental, using sharply contrasted characters to explore conduct, self-control, family feeling, and everyday ethical choices.
Although she is less well known now than she was in her own lifetime, McIntosh was an important presence in 19th-century popular fiction. She died in Morristown, New Jersey, on February 25, 1878.