Mary L. (Mary Lillian) Read

Published in 1916 by Little, Brown, and Company, The Mothercraft Manual is the work most clearly associated with Mary L. Read, identified in library records as Mary Lillian Read, born in 1878. The Library of Congress catalogs the book under her full name and notes its focus on child care, child development, and motherhood.

The book is substantial rather than anecdotal, with illustrations, diagrams, and a long bibliography, which suggests a writer aiming to give mothers a structured, research-minded guide. Today, Read is remembered chiefly through this manual, which has remained accessible in digitized editions and continues to attract readers interested in the history of parenting and domestic health advice.

Beyond the bibliographic record attached to her book, I could not confirm many personal biographical details during this search, so this overview stays close to the published evidence.