The Resume

(January 26, 1831-August 21, 1905)
Born in New York City, New York
Birth name was Mary Mapes
Edited 'St. Nicholas' magazine (1873-1905)
Best known for 'Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates' (1865)
Poetry collections include 'Rhymes and Jingles' (1874) and 'Poems and Verses' (1904)

Why she might be annoying:

She was not exposed to children's literature growing up because her father considered it 'a dreary wasteland.'
Her publisher, having expected a collection of short stories, considered rejecting 'Hans Brinker' and accepted it only because she had nothing else ready for print.
'Hans Brinker' convinced many Americans that the story of a Dutch boy preventing a flood by sticking his finger in a hole in a dike was actual Dutch folklore -- to the point that two towns in the Netherlands erected statues of the incident to satisfy the curiosity of American tourists.

Why she might not be annoying:

She turned to literature to earn enough money to educate her sons after her husband died.
She was considered the leading figure in American children's literature during the second half of the 19th Century.
She convinced many prominent authors to contribute to her children's magazine, including Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
She wrote, 'A successful children's magazine must not be a milk-and-water variety of the periodical for adults.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• 19th Century Poets
• 20th Century Poets
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 90]
• Children's Book Authors
• I Died in 1905 (Ranked: 74)
• I Outlived My Child
• I was Home Schooled
• People with John or Mary in their Names
• Poets
• Profiles 56251-56500 (Ranked: 56267)
• Young Widows

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying