author
Mrs. H. B. Paull
1812–1888
Best known for bringing classic European children’s stories into English, this Victorian writer and translator helped introduce generations of readers to Grimm, Andersen, and The Swiss Family Robinson. She also wrote fiction of her own, often for younger audiences.
1 Audiobook
Englefield Grange; or, Mary Armstrong's Troubles
by Mrs. H. B. Paull
About the author
Susanna Mary Paull (1812–1888), who published as Mrs. H. B. Paull, was a British author and translator. Reliable reference sources identify her as the translator behind English editions of stories by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, as well as The Swiss Family Robinson, work that helped make well-loved continental tales accessible to Victorian family readers.
She was born in London and later married Henry Hugh Beams Paull, whose initials shaped the pen name under which she became known. In addition to translation, she wrote fiction herself, including books for children and morally themed domestic stories.
Her name appears less often today than the famous authors she translated, but her role was an important one: she was part of the nineteenth-century literary world that carried European fairy tales and adventure stories into English-speaking homes.