author
Mrs. (Fanny) David Osborne
A little-known Victorian writer, she is remembered for educational and travel-themed nonfiction for young readers, including The World of Waters. She was also the daughter of painter Abraham Cooper and wrote under the married name Mrs. David Osborne.
1 Audiobook
The World of Waters, Or, A Peaceful Progress O'er the Unpathed Sea
by Mrs. (Fanny) David Osborne
About the author
Frances "Fanny" Osborne, born around 1818 in London, was the third daughter of the painter Abraham Cooper, R.A. According to the Victorian Research author database, she later married the Rev. David Osborne in 1837 and spent part of her life connected with Jamaica before returning to England.
She wrote as Mrs. David Osborne and is best known today for The World of Waters; Or, A Peaceful Progress O'er the Unpathed Sea, a work that presents geography and the natural world in a form aimed at younger readers. Surviving catalog records and library listings suggest that this is the main work by which modern readers encounter her.
Reliable biographical information about her appears to be scarce, and I could not confirm a suitable portrait from the pages I checked. Even so, the available records point to a 19th-century author who contributed to the era's tradition of instructive, accessible writing for children and families.