author
Mrs. E. M. Field
1856–1940
An Irish writer with a gift for history and storytelling, she wrote lively books for young readers and also helped map the early history of children’s literature. Her work often brought big events like the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the Irish Famine into stories meant to engage younger minds.
1 Audiobook
Mixed pickles : A story for girls and boys
by Mrs. E. M. Field
About the author
Born Louise Frances Story in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1856, she wrote under the name Mrs. E. M. Field. She became known for fiction for children and for historical novels, and she is also remembered as a literary critic with a serious interest in what children read.
One of her most lasting contributions is The Child and His Book (1891), an early historical study of children’s literature in England. She also wrote titles such as Bryda, set during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and Mixed Pickles, showing the range of her work from historical subjects to lighter stories for younger readers.
Field died in 1940. Although she is not widely known today, her writing sits at an interesting meeting point between children’s fiction, literary history, and the moral, educational spirit of late Victorian reading.