author
Mary Ann Hedge
An early 19th-century English writer, she published moral tales, children’s books, and fiction that mixed domestic feeling with lessons about character, religion, and society. Her work includes "Samboe; or, The African Boy" and other books written for young readers.
2 Audiobooks
Samboe; or, The African Boy
by Mary Ann Hedge
A visit to the elephant
by Mary Ann Hedge
About the author
Mary Ann Hedge was an English author born in Colchester in 1776 and remembered today mainly for her early 19th-century books for children and families. A bibliographic record from the University of Toronto identifies her as the youngest child and only daughter of Nathaniel Hedge, and gives her lifespan as 1776–1841.
Her books range across fiction, moral instruction, history, and juvenile writing. Surviving records and digitized editions connect her with works including Affection's Gift to a Beloved God-Child (1819), Life; or, Fashion and Feeling (1822), Samboe; or, The African Boy (1823), The Orphan Sailor-Boy (1824), The Fortunate Employ; or, The Five Acres Ploughed (1827), and Historical Recollections of Henry of Monmouth (1829).
Although she is not widely known now, Hedge’s writing offers a clear window into the values and reading culture of her time. Her stories often aim to instruct as well as entertain, which helps explain why they continue to appear in library catalogs, digitized archives, and projects that preserve older literature.