Isabel Allerdice Mallon (July 13, 1857 – December 27, 1898) was an American writer, best known for columns written in the 1890s as "Ruth Ashmore" for the ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...

'', and her syndicated newspaper column as "Bab's Babble".(28 December 1898)
"Ruth Ashmore" Dead: A Well-Known Writer Succumbs to Pneumonia, Following Grip
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''(27 December 1898)
Isabel Mallon Dead
''Pittsburgh Press''(15 January 1899)
The Late "Bab" And Her Work
''

The Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. ''The Vindicator'' was established in 1869. As of September 1, ...

''Who "Miss Ruth Ashmore" Is
''

Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Magazine'' was an American magazine founded by Frank Munsey in 1889 as ''Munsey's Weekly'', a humor magazine edited by John Kendrick Bangs. It was unsuccessful, and by late 1891 had lost $100,000 ($ in ). Munsey converted it into ...

'', Vol. XIV, No. 5 (February 1896), p. 633

Biography

Mallon, as Isabel Sloan, was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in 1857. When her husband William Mallon became ill (and later died), she pursued journalism for income, starting by writing about fashion.The New standard encyclopedia, Volume 7
(1907) She started the "Bab's Babble" gossip column for newspaper syndication, starting with the '' New York Star'', in 1888.(31 December 1898)
Obituary Notes
''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', p. 1180 The "Ruth Ashmore" column was conceived of by Edward W. Bok, who after taking over the ''Journal'' in 1889, sought a motherly columnist who could provide advice to young girls. Unable to find one, he penned a sample column of "Side Talk with Girls" as "Ruth Ashmead" to show a female writer a demonstration of what he was looking for. Bok mislaid the draft copy, and his staff found it and urged that it be run in the magazine, as the "best stuff for girls they have ever read." After the first column appeared in print (with Ashmead changed to Ashmore) in January 1890, hundreds of letters poured in, and Bok convinced Mallon to take the reins of the column.Bok, Edward W
The Americanization of Edward Bok
p. 169-72 (1922) The Ruth Ashmore advice book ''Side Talks With Girls'' was published in 1895,(21 September 1895)
To Help The Average Young Girl (book review)
''

'' and ''The Business Girl'' was published in 1898. Mallon died from pneumonia in New York City on December 27, 1898. Although Bok recalled in his autobiography that Mallon wrote as Ashmore for 16 years, it appears to have been closer to nine.

References

External links

Side Talks With Girls
(1895)(full version online via Google Books)
The Business Girl
(1898)(full version online via Google Books) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mallon, Isabel 1857 births 1898 deaths Writers from Baltimore Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) American advice columnists American women columnists Ladies' Home Journal 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American women journalists Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers