author
Mrs. J. B. Dale
1853–1921
A British writer who published as Mrs. J. B. Dale, she is best known today for Indian Palmistry, a practical guide to reading the hand that reflects late Victorian fascination with mysticism and character study. Her work has remained available through major public-domain libraries, giving modern readers a window into an unusual corner of 19th-century popular writing.
1 Audiobook
Indian Palmistry
by Mrs. J. B. Dale
About the author
Born Helena Fenwick Dale in 1853, she wrote under the name Mrs. J. B. Dale, a pen name drawn from her husband, Sir James Backhouse Dale. Public-domain and library records identify her as a British writer and connect that pseudonym directly to her real name.
She is chiefly remembered for Indian Palmistry, the book most closely associated with her today. The work blends explanation, interpretation, and period enthusiasm for palm reading, making it interesting not only to readers curious about occult traditions, but also to anyone exploring how character, fate, and science were popularly discussed in the late 1800s.
Although not a widely documented literary celebrity, her surviving record shows a writer whose name has endured through reprints and digital archives. She died in 1921, and the continued circulation of her work has helped preserve her place among lesser-known authors whose books still spark curiosity more than a century later.