Maria Elizabeth Budden, (née Halsey, c. 1780 – 26 April 1832) was a novelist, translator and writer of

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...

children's books, who frequently signed her work "M. E. B." or "A Mother". Her ''True Stories...'' series of history books for young people remained popular for many years. Little has come to light about Budden's life.

Publications

Budden's most popular work throughout the first half of the 19th century was her anonymously published ''Always Happy!!: Or, Anecdotes of Felix and his Sister Serena. A Tale'' (1814). Also perennially popular were her ''True Stories...'' series of history books for young people (1819 onwards), and her novel ''Claudine: or Humility the Basis of All of the Virtues. A Swiss Tale'' (1822). Her novel ''Right and Wrong Exhibited in the History of Rosa and Agnes'' (1818) takes the story of twins who grow up to be very different as a way of inculcating "life lessons for the young". These and other works of hers are available in

print on demand Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology and business process in which book copies (or other documents, packaging or materials) are not printed until the company receives an order, allowing prints of single or small quantities. While oth ...

editions, for the benefit of scholars seeking source material on the

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and upbringing. According to a modern account, Budden at her peak was writing more than one book a year for her publisher, John Harris. Both Budden and the poet and novelist Elizabeth Thomas have been associated tentatively with the pseudonymous "Mrs. Bridget Bluemantle", the author of nine novels published by the London

Minerva Press Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...

between 1806 and 1818. However, Budden's ''Claudine...'' and "Mrs Bluemantle's" ''Claudine...'' are different novels.

References

External sources

*A study of the Budden novel ''Right And Wrong, Exhibited In The History Of Rosa And Agnes'' (1818) *A facsimile of ''Nina: An Icelandic Tale'' (1827) *Links to online editions of eleven other booksRetrieved 25 November 2016.
/ref> {{DEFAULTSORT:Budden, Maria Elizabeth 1780s births 1832 deaths 19th-century English women writers 19th-century British writers English children's writers English women novelists British women children's writers Pseudonymous women writers 19th-century pseudonymous writers