Mary E. (Mary Emily) Ropes

Born in 1842, she was associated with St. Petersburg in the Russian Empire, where her father William Hooper Ropes worked as a merchant. Later in life she lived in London and then in Wales, and that international background seems to have shaped the settings and atmosphere of her writing.

She wrote many books for younger readers, including The Story of Mary Jones and Her Bible, Two Little Finns, What Happened to Tad, and On the Face of the Flood. Contemporary catalog records and public-domain listings show a long, active publishing career, especially in children's fiction and devotional or morally themed works.

Some sources also note that she wrote about Russian life with her brother Arthur Reed Ropes, better known as Adrian Ross, in On Peter's Island. Even from the limited surviving biographical detail, her work stands out for its steady storytelling, religious feeling, and interest in courage, perseverance, and everyday character.