Mary Platt Parmele

Born in Albany, New York, in 1843, she became an American historian and writer whose work aimed to make history approachable for a wide audience. She was educated in New York, and reference sources describe her as the daughter of Zephaniah Platt and Cornelia Jenkins Platt.

Her best-known books include A Short History of England, Ireland, and Scotland, A Short History of France, A Short History of Rome and Italy, A Short History of Russia, A Short History of Spain, and A Short History of the United States. The record of her work suggests a writer especially interested in giving readers compact, lively introductions to major nations and empires.

Mary Platt Parmele died in 1911. Today, she is remembered mainly for those concise historical surveys, many of which remain available in digital archives and public-domain collections.