Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children and others as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist and co-founder of the

Fabian Society The Fabian Society () is a History of the socialist movement in the United Kingdom, British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in ...

, a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party.

Biography

Nesbit was born in 1858 at 38 Lower Kennington Lane,

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between th ...

, Surrey (now

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

), the daughter of an agricultural chemist, John Collis Nesbit, who died in March 1862, before her fourth birthday. Her mother was Sarah Green (née Alderton). The ill health of Edith's sister Mary meant that the family travelled for some years, living variously in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, Buckinghamshire, France (

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

, Paris,

Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

Arcachon Arcachon (; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for p ...

, Pau,

Bagnères-de-Bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre (, literally ''Bagnères of Bigorre''; ) is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, Department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occita ...

, and

Dinan Dinan (; ) is a walled Brittany, Breton town and a commune in France, commune in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Léhon was merged into Dinan. Geography Inst ...

in Brittany), Spain and Germany. Mary was engaged in 1871 to the poet Philip Bourke Marston, but later that year she died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in Normandy. After Mary's death, Edith and her mother settled for three years at Halstead Hall,

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011 Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, a location that inspired ''

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by E. Nesbit, Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the ...

'', although the distinction has also been claimed by the

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

town of

New Mills New Mills is a small town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England, south-east of Stockport and from Manchester at the confluence of the River Goyt and River Sett, Sett. It is close to the border with Cheshire and above the Torrs, a ...

. When Nesbit was 17, the family moved back to

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

in south-east London. There is a

Lewisham Council Lewisham London Borough Council, also known as Lewisham Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Lewisham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour major ...

plaque to her at 28 Elswick Road. In 1877, at the age of 18, Nesbit met the bank clerk

Hubert Bland Hubert Bland (3 January 1855 – 14 April 1914) was an English author. He was known for being an infamous libertine, a journalist, an early English socialist, and one of the founders of the Fabian Society. He was the husband of Edith Nesbit. Ea ...

, her elder by three years. Seven months pregnant, she married Bland on 22 April 1880, but did not initially live with him, as Bland remained with his mother. Their marriage was tumultuous. Early on, Nesbit found that another woman, Maggie Doran, who lived with his mother, believed she was Hubert's fiancée and had also borne him a child. Nesbit's children by Bland were Paul Cyril Bland (1880–1940), to whom ''

'' was dedicated, Mary Iris Bland (1881–1965), who married John Austin D Phillips in 1907, and Fabian Bland (1885–1900). A more serious blow came in 1886, when she discovered that her friend was pregnant by him. She had previously agreed to adopt Hoatson's child and allow Hoatson to live with her as their housekeeper. After she discovered the truth, she and her husband quarrelled violently and she suggested that Hoatson and the baby, Rosamund, should leave; her husband threatened to leave Edith if she disowned the baby and its mother. Hoatson remained with them as a housekeeper and secretary and became pregnant by Bland again 13 years later. Edith again adopted Hoatson's child, John. Bland's two children by Alice Hoatson, whom Edith adopted, were Rosamund Edith Nesbit Hamilton, later Bland (1886–1950), who married Clifford Dyer Sharp on 16 October 1909, and to whom ''The Book of Dragons'' was dedicated, and John Oliver Wentworth Bland (1899–1946) to whom '' The House of Arden'' and '' Five Children and It'' were dedicated. Nesbit's son Fabian died aged 15 after a

tonsil The tonsils ( ) are a set of lymphoid organs facing into the aerodigestive tract, which is known as Waldeyer's tonsillar ring and consists of the adenoid tonsil (or pharyngeal tonsil), two tubal tonsils, two palatine tonsils, and the lingual t ...

operation; Nesbit felt guilt over this, having fed him shortly before the

general anaesthetic General anaesthetics (or anesthetics) are often defined as compounds that induce a loss of consciousness in humans or loss of righting reflex in animals. Clinical definitions are also extended to include an induced coma that causes lack of awaren ...

and in then leaving him unattended afterwards, not realising that he might choke to death on regurgitated food; she subsequently dedicated several books to him, including ''

The Story of the Treasure Seekers ''The Story of the Treasure Seekers'' is a novel by E. Nesbit first published in 1899. It tells the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius (H. O.) Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover ...

'' and its sequels. Nesbit's adopted daughter Rosamund collaborated with her on ''Cat Tales''. Nesbit admired the artist and Marxian socialist

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

. The couple joined the founders of the

in 1884, after which their son Fabian was named, and jointly edited its journal ''Today''. Hoatson was its assistant secretary. Nesbit and Bland dallied with the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James ...

, but found it too radical. Nesbit was a prolific lecturer and writer on socialism in the 1880s. She and her husband co-wrote under the pseudonym "Fabian Bland", However, the joint work dwindled as her success rose as a children's author. She was a guest speaker at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, which had been founded by other Fabian Society members. Edith lived from 1899 to 1920 at Well Hall,

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...

, in south-east London,"Well Hall" entry of ''London Gazetteer'' by Russ Willey, ( Chambers 2006) (online extrac

which makes fictional appearances in several of her books, such as ''The Red House''. From 1911 she kept a second home on the Sussex Downs at Crowlink, East Dean and Friston, Friston, East Sussex. She and her husband entertained many friends, colleagues and admirers at Well Hall. On 20 February 1917, some three years after Bland died, Nesbit married Thomas "the Skipper" Tucker in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, where he was captain of the Woolwich Ferry. Although she was the family breadwinner and has the father in ''The Railway Children'' declare that " rls are just as clever as boys, and don’t you forget it!", Nesbit did not champion women's rights. "She opposed the cause of women’s suffrage—mainly, she claimed, because women could swing Tory, thus harming the Socialist cause." She is said to have avoided the literary moralising that characterised the age. "And, most crucially, both books are constructed from a blueprint that is also a kind of reënactment of the author’s own childhood: an idyll torn up at its roots by the exigencies of illness, loss, and grief." Towards the end of her life, Nesbit moved first to Crowlink, then with the Skipper to two conjoined properties which were

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

buildings, 'Jolly Boat' and 'Long Boat'. Nesbit lived in 'Jolly Boat' and the Skipper in 'Long Boat'. Nesbit died in 'The Long Boat' at Jesson, St Mary's Bay,

New Romney New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...

, Kent, in 1924, probably from lung cancer (she "smoked incessantly"), and was buried in the churchyard of St Mary in the Marsh. Her husband Thomas died at the same address on 17 May 1935. Edith's son Paul Bland was an executor of Thomas Tucker's will.

Writing

Career

Nesbit's first published works were poems. She was under 20 in March 1878, when the monthly magazine ''

Good Words ''Good Words'' was a 19th-century monthly periodical established in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consist ...

'' printed her poem "Under the Trees". In all she published about 40 books for children, including novels, storybooks and picture books. Works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

adapted by her for children have been translated. She also published almost as many books jointly with others.

Plagiarism allegation

In 2011, Nesbit was accused of taking the plot of ''

'' from ''The House by the Railway'' by Ada J. Graves. ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' reported that the Graves book had appeared in 1896, nine years prior to ''The Railway Children'', and listed similarities between them. However, not all sources agree on this finding: Online magazine ''

Tor.com ''Reactor'', formerly ''Tor.com'', is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on specul ...

'' noted that both books had been released in 1906.

Legacy and influence

Nesbit's biographer Julia Briggs names her "the first modern writer for children", who "helped to reverse the great tradition of children's literature inaugurated by

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

, George MacDonald and

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

, in turning away from their

secondary world A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the Continuity (fiction), internally consistent fictional Setting (narrative), setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly as ...

s to the tough truths to be won from encounters with things-as-they-are, previously the province of adult novels". Briggs also credits Nesbit with inventing the children's

adventure story Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of romance fiction. History In the introduction to the ''Encyclopedi ...

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

was an admirer. In a letter to an early biographer,

Noel Streatfeild Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE (24 December 1895 – 11 September 1986) was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series (though some books made references to others). Random House, the U.S. ...

wrote, "She had an economy of phrase and an unparalleled talent for evoking hot summer days in the English countryside." Among Nesbit's best-known books are ''

'' (1899) and ''The Wouldbegoods'' (1901), which tell of the Bastables, a middle-class family fallen on relatively hard times. ''

'' is also popularised by a 1970 film version.

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal ( ; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his acerbic epigrammatic wit. His novels and essays interrogated the Social norm, social and sexual ...

called the time-travel book, '' The Story of the Amulet'', one where "Nesbit's powers of invention are at their best." Her children's writing also included plays and collections of verse. Nesbit has been cited as the creator of modern

children's fantasy Children's fantasy is children's literature with fantasy elements: fantasy intended for young readers. It may also mean fantasy read ''by'' children, regardless of the intended audience. The genre has roots in folk tales such as ''Aesop's Fables ...

. Her innovations placed realistic contemporary children in real-world settings with magical objects (which would now be classed as

contemporary fantasy Contemporary fantasy is a genre, subgenre of fantasy set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its subgenres, occult detective fiction, urban fantasy, low fantasy, supernatural fiction and paranormal fiction. Several authors note that ...

) and adventures and sometimes travel to fantastic worlds. This influenced directly or indirectly many later writers, including P. L. Travers (of ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

''), Edward Eager,

Diana Wynne Jones Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually d ...

and

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name , is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has List of best-sell ...

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

too paid heed to her in the '' Narnia'' series and mentions the Bastable children in ''

The Magician's Nephew ''The Magician's Nephew'' is a portal fantasy novel by British author C. S. Lewis, published in 1955 by The Bodley Head. It is the sixth published of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). In recent editions, which sequence ...

'', which, in its scenes of Jadis (a.k.a. the

White Witch Jadis is a fictional character and the main antagonist of '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1950) and '' The Magician's Nephew'' (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is commonly referred to as the White Witc ...

) in 19th century London, borrows from a similar sequences in Nesbit's '' The Story of the Amulet''.

Use of Nesbit's characters by later writers

Science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

writer

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, particularly of science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has wo ...

adopted Nesbit's character of Oswald Bastable for a trilogy of

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...

novels beginning with '' The Warlord of the Air''. '' Five Children and It'' has had a number of

continuation novel A continuation novel is a sequel novel with continuity in the style of an established series, produced by a new author after the original author's death. Continuation novels may be official, produced with the permission of the late author's lite ...

s by later writers.

Legacy

Places

*Edith Nesbit Walk and cycleway runs along the south side of Well Hall Pleasaunce in Eltham. * Lee Green, also in south-east London, has Edith Nesbit Gardens. *A 200-metre footpath in Grove Park south-east London, between Baring Road and Reigate Road, is named Railway Children Walk after the novel, as is one in Oxenhope, a film location on the

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) is a heritage railway in the Worth Valley, West Yorkshire, England, which runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the National Rail network at Keighley railway station. History Inception an ...

used in the 1970 film. *There is a Nesbit Road in St Mary's Bay, Romney Marsh, where Nesbit's home Long Boat & Jolly Boat stands. * Nesbit House, a care home at Badgers Mount,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, is located near Halstead Hall where Edith Nesbit lived when she was young.

Other legacy

*Actress

Judy Parfitt Judy Catherine Claire Parfitt (born 7 November 1935) is an English theatre, film, and television actress. She made her film debut in the 1950s, followed by a supporting role in the BBC television serial ''David Copperfield'' (1966). She also ap ...

portrayed Nesbit in the 1972–1973 miniseries '' The Edwardians'' *The Edith Nesbit Society was founded in 1996 with Dame

Jacqueline Wilson Dame Jacqueline Wilson (' Aitken; born 17 December 1945) is an English novelist known for her popular children's literature. Her novels have been notable for tackling realistic topics such as adoption and divorce. Since her debut novel in 1969, ...

as president. *In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' in 2001,

Francis Spufford Francis Spufford FRSL (born 1964) is an English author and teacher of writing whose career has shifted gradually from non-fiction to fiction. His first novel '' Golden Hill'' received critical acclaim and numerous prizes including the Costa Bo ...

placed '' The Story of the Amulet'' first on his list of greatest children's books. * A. S. Byatt's 2009 novel ''

The Children's Book ''The Children's Book'' is a 2009 novel by British writer A. S. Byatt. It follows the adventures of several inter-related families, adults and children, from 1895 through World War I. Loosely based upon the life of children's writer E. Nesbit ...

'' is inspired partly by Nesbit, who appears as a character along with

and

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. *Nesbit's life inspired a one-act, one-woman play, ''Larks and Magic'', by Alison Neil, in 2018. * Several of Nesbit's horror short stories were adapted into the anthology play ''The Shadow in the Dark'' by Oliver Giggins and Ash Pryce, which also drew on elements of Nesbit's own life and fears taken from her autobiographical writings. The show premiered at the Edinburgh Horror Festival in 2023. * American children's book author Edward Eager considered Nesbit the best children's author of all time; his books have been compared to Nesbit's and his characters are often fans of her work. * ''Woman of Stone'', the Christmas Eve 2024 episode of the BBC's '

A Ghost Story for Christmas ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'' is a Anthology series, strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instal ...

' strand, is an adaptation of Nesbit's horror story ''Man-Size in Marble''. The film, written and directed by

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...

, features Celia Imrie as Nesbit.

Biographies

Aside from an episode of the BBC's 'A Ghost Story for Christmas' from her autobiographical ''Long Ago When I was Young'' (published 1966), Nesbit has been the subject of five biographies. * Doris Langley Moore ''E. Nesbit'', 1933 *

, ''Magic and the Magician: E. Nesbit'' ''and her Children’s Books'', 1958 *Julia Briggs, ''A Woman of Passion'', 1987 *Elisabeth Galvin, ''The Extraordinary Life of E. Nesbit'', 2018 *Eleanor Fitzsimons, ''The Life and Loves of E Nesbit'', 2019

Works

Novels for children

Bastable series

*1899 ''

'' *1901 '' The Wouldbegoods'' *1904 '' New Treasure Seekers''

=Notes

= ''The Complete History of the Bastable Family'' (1928) is a posthumous omnibus of the three Bastable novels, but does not include the four stories appearing in the 1905 collection ''Oswald Bastable and Others''. The Bastables also feature in the 1902 adult novel ''The Red House''.

Psammead series

*1902 '' Five Children and It'' *1904 ''

The Phoenix and the Carpet ''The Phoenix and the Carpet'' is a fantasy novel for children, written by E. Nesbit and first published in 1904. It is the second in a trilogy of novels that begins with '' Five Children and It'' (1902), and follows the adventures of the sa ...

'' *1906 '' The Story of the Amulet''

House of Arden series

*1908 '' The House of Arden'' *1909 '' Harding's Luck''

Other children's novels

*1906 ''

'' *1907 '' The Enchanted Castle'' *1910 '' The Magic City'' *1911 '' The Wonderful Garden'' *1913 '' Wet Magic''

Novels for adults

As Fabian Bland

*''The Prophet's Mantle''. Serialised, ''Weekly Dispatch'', 3 August–14 December 1884, published 1889 *''The Hour before Day''. Serialised, ''Weekly Dispatch'', 1885 *''Something Wrong''. Serialised, ''Weekly Dispatch'', 7 March to 4 July 1886 *''The Marden Mystery'' (1896) (rare: few if any copies survive)

As E. Nesbit

*1893 ''Her Marriage Lines''. Serialised, ''Weekly Dispatch'', 1893 *1898 ''The Secret of Kyriels'' *1902 ''The Red House'' (featuring the Bastables from the children's books featuring them) *1906 ''The Incomplete Amorist'' *1909 ''Salome and the Head'' (a.k.a. ''The House with No Address'') *1909 ''Daphne in Fitzroy Street'' *1911 ''Dormant'' (a.k.a. ''Rose Royal'' in the US) *1916 ''The Incredible Honeymoon'' *1922 ''The Lark''

Notes

Few copies of ''The Secret of Kyriels'' survive.

Stories and storybooks for children

*1887 ''The Pixies Garden'' *1891 "The Pilot", poem, picture book(?), *1892 ''Father Christmas: The Children's Casket of Pictures'' *1894 ''Miss Mischief'' *1895 ''Tick Tock, Tales of the Clock'' *1895 ''Pussy cat'' *1895 ''Doggy Tales'' *1896 ''The Prince, Two Mice and Some Kitchen-Maids''. Father Christmas: The Children's Treasury of Pictures and Stories (1892) *1897 ''The Children's Shakespeare'' *1897 ''Royal Children of English History'' *1897 ''Tales Told in the Twilight'' (story included in an anthology) *1898 ''The Book of Dogs'' *1899 ''Pussy and Doggy Tales'' *1901 ''The Book of Dragons'' (stories that appeared in '' The Strand'', 1899) *1901 ''Nine Unlikely Tales'' *1902 ''The Revolt of the Toys'' *1903 ''The Rainbow Queen and Other Stories'' *1903 ''Playtime Stories'' *1904 ''The Story of Five Rebellious Dolls'' *1904 ''Cat Tales'' (by Nesbit and her daughter Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland) *1905 ''Oswald Bastable and Others'' (includes four Bastable stories) *1905 ''Pug Peter, King of Mouseland'' *1907 '' Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare'' (reprint of ''The Children's Shakespeare'', 1895) *1908 ''The Old Nursery Stories'' *1912 '' The Magic World'' *1925 ''Five of Us—and Madeline'' (posthumously assembled and edited by Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland, containing the title novel and two short stories perhaps completed by Nesbit)"Five of Us—and Madeline"
ISFDB. Retrieved 12 April 2017.

Short fiction for adults

As Fabian Bland

*"Psychical Research". ''Longman's Magazine'', December 1884 *"The Fabric of a Vision". ''Argosy'', March 1885 *"An Angel Unawares". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 9 August 1885 *"Desperate Conspirator". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 15 May 1887 *"A Pot of Money". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 21 August 1887 *"Christmas Roses". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 25 December 1887 *"High Social Position". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 8 July 1888 *"Mind and Money". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 16 September 1888 *"Getting into Society". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 30 September 1888 *"A Drama of Exile". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 21 October 1888 *"A Pious Fraud". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 11 November 1888 *"Her First Appearance". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 16 December 1888 *"Which Wins?" ''Murray's Magazine'', December 1888 *"Only a Joke". ''Longman's Magazine'', August 1889 *"The Golden Girl". ''Weekly Dispatch'', 21 December 1890

As E. Bland

*"The Third Drug", ''Strand Magazine'', February 1908 (a.k.a. "The Three Drugs")

As E. Nesbit

*"Uncle Abraham's Romance". ''

Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'', founded by Herbert Ingram and first published on Saturday 14 May 1842, was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. The magazine was published weekly for most of its existence, switched to a less freq ...

'', 26 September 1891 *"The Ebony Frame". ''Longman's Magazine'', October 1891 *"Hurst of Hurstcote", 1893 *"The Butler in Bohemia" (by Nesbit and Oswald Barron), , 1894 *"A Strayed Sheep". ''Thetford & Watton Times and People's Weekly Journal'', 2 June 1894 (with Oswald Barron) *"The Secret of Monsieur Roche Aymon". ''Atalanta Magazine'', October 1894 (with Oswald Barron) *"The Letter in Brown Ink". ''Windsor Magazine'', August 1899 *"'Thirteen Ways Home", 1901 *"These Little Ones", 1909 *"The Aunt and the Editor". ''North Star and Farmers' Chronicle'', 15 June 1909 *"To the Adventurous", 1923

Short story collections for adults

*''Grim Tales'' (horror stories), 1893 **"The Ebony Frame", "John Charrington's Wedding", "Uncle Abraham's Romance", "The Mystery of the Semi-Detached", "From the Dead", "Man-Size in Marble", "The Mass for the Dead" *''Something Wrong'' (horror stories), 1893 *''In Homespun'' (10 stories "written in an English dialect" of South Kent and Sussex), 1896 *''The Literary Sense'' (18 stories), 1903 *''Man and Maid'' (10 stories), 1906 (some supernatural stories) *''Fear'' (horror stories), 1910 *''Collected Supernatural Stories'', 2000 **"Dormant" ("Rose Royal"), "Man-size in Marble", "The Detective", "No. 17", "John Charrington's Wedding", "The Blue Rose", "The Haunted House", "The House With No Address" ("Salome and the Head"), "The Haunted Inheritance", "The House of Silence", "The Letter in Brown Ink", "The Shadow", "The New Samson", "The Pavilion" *''From the Dead: The Complete Weird Stories of E Nesbit'', 2005 **"Introduction" (by S. T. Joshi), "John Charrington's Wedding", "The Ebony Frame", "The Mass for the Dead", "From the Dead", "Uncle Abraham's Romance", "The Mystery of the Semi-Detached", "Man-Size in Marble", "Hurst of Hurstcote", "The Power of Darkness", "The Shadow", "The Head", "The Three Drugs", "In the Dark", "The New Samson", "Number 17", "The Five Senses", "The Violet Car", "The Haunted House", "The Pavilion", "From My School-Days", "In the Dark", "The Mummies at Bordeaux" *''The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror'', 2006 **"Man-Size in Marble", "Uncle Abraham's Romance", "From the Dead", "The Three Drugs", "The Violet Car", "John Charrington's Wedding", "The Pavilion", "Hurst of Hurstcote", "In the Dark", "The Head", "The Mystery of the Semi-detached", "The Ebony Frame", "The Five Senses", "The Shadow", "The Power of Darkness", "The Haunted Inheritance", "The Letter in Brown Ink", "The House of Silence", "The Haunted House", "The Detective" * ''Dark Tales in Winter'', 2021 ** "The Shadow" adapted for stage by Matt Beames and Hannah Torrance.

Non-fiction

As Fabian Bland

No pieces yet traced

As E. Nesbit

*"Women and Socialism: from the Middle-Class Point of View". ''Justice'', 4 and 11 April 1885 *"Women and Socialism: A Working Woman's Point of View". ''Justice'', 25 April 1885 *''Wings and the Child, or The Building of Magic Cities'', 1913 *''Long Ago When I Was Young'' (originally a serial, 'My School-Days: Memories of Childhood', in '' Girl's Own Paper'' 1896–1897) Originally appearing as "My School-Days: Memories of Childhood" in ''The Girl's Own Paper'' between October 1896 and September 1897, ''Long Ago When I Was Young'' finally took book form in 1966, some 40 years after Nesbit's death, with an insightful introduction by Noel Streatfeild and some two dozen pen-and-ink drawings by Edward Ardizzone. The twelve chapters reproduce the instalments.

Poetry

*"A Lovers' Petition". ''Good Words'', 17 August 1881 *"Absolution". ''Longman's Magazine'', August 1882 *"Possibilities". ''Argosy'', July 1884 *"Until the Dawn". ''Justice'', 21 February 1885 *"Socialist Spring Song". ''Today'', June 1885 *"The Dead to the Living". ''Gentleman's Magazine'' *"Waiting". ''Justice'', July 1885 *"Two Voices". ''Justice'', August 1885 *"1857-1885". ''Justice'', 22 August 1885 *"The Wife of All Ages". ''Justice'', 18 September 1885 *"The Time of Roses", undated (c. 1890) *1886 "Lays and Legends" *1887 "The Lily and the Cross" *1887 "Justice for Ireland!". Warminster Gazette, 12 March 1887 *1887 "The Ballad of Ferencz Renyi: Hungary, 1848". Longman's Magazine, April 1887 *1887 "The Message of June". Longman's Magazine, June 1887 *1887 "The Last Envoy" *1887 "The Star of Bethlehem" *1887 "Devotional Verses" *1888 "The Better Part, and Other Poems" *1888 "Landscape and Song" *1888 "The Message of the Dove" *1888 "All Round the Year" *1888 "Leaves of Life" *1889 "Corals and Sea Songs" *1890 "Songs of Two Seasons" *1892 "Sweet Lavender" *1892 "Lays and Legends", 2nd ed. *1895 "Rose Leaves" *1895 "A Pomander of Verse" *1898 "Songs of Love and Empire" *1901 "To Wish You Every Joy" *1905 "The Rainbow and the Rose" *1908 "Jesus in London" *1883–1908 "Ballads and Lyrics of Socialism" *1911 "Ballads and Verses of the Spiritual Life" *1912 "Garden Poems" *1915 "prayer in Time or War" *1922 "Many Voices"

Songs

*1899 ''Slave Song'' (Chappell),

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

*
"The Writing of E. Nesbit"
by

, ''The New York Review of Books'', 3 December 1964
"Lost Lives: Edith Bland"
by Bill Greenwell
Nesbit
at YourDictionary.com (reprint from ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'') *
Rosamund E. Nesbit Bland
at LC Authorities, with 2 records, an
at WorldCat
* ;Online texts * * * * *

, a tale similar to Rapunzel

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesbit, E. 1858 births 1924 deaths English children's writers English fantasy writers English socialists English women novelists English women poets Members of the Fabian Society People from Eltham People from Kennington People from Lewisham People from New Romney Victorian women writers Deaths from lung cancer in England Burials in Kent