author
Marie Mumford Meinell Hemstreet
A little-known early 20th-century writer and editor, she is best remembered for co-authoring a wonderfully atmospheric tour of historic London. Her work opens a window onto the literary and club life that surrounded New York writers of her era.
1 Audiobook
Nooks and Corners of Old London
by Charles Hemstreet, Marie Mumford Meinell Hemstreet
About the author
Marie Mumford Meinell Hemstreet is a notably elusive figure, but the record available online shows that she was a writer and editor active in the early 1900s. She is credited by Project Gutenberg and Internet Archive as the co-author, with Charles Hemstreet, of Nooks and Corners of Old London, first published in 1910.
A modern historical essay about Charles Hemstreet adds a few glimpses of her life beyond the title page: it identifies her as Charles Hemstreet’s wife, places her in New York literary circles, and notes that she was involved with the Blue Pencil Club. That same source suggests she had poetry published as well, though specific titles are harder to confirm from the sources reviewed here.
Because so little biographical material is easy to verify, part of her appeal is the mystery. What does come through clearly is a love of literary places and old city stories, making her surviving work especially enjoyable for listeners drawn to history, travel writing, and the lost corners of famous cities.