Martha Elizabeth Duncan Walker Cook (23 July 1806 – 15 September 1874) was an American author, translator, and editor. Martha Elizabeth Duncan Walker was born on 23 July 1806 in

Northumberland, Pennsylvania Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,804 at the 2010 census. History A brewer named Reuben Haines, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded the town of Northumberland in ...

, the daughter of

Jonathan Hoge Walker Jonathan Hoge Walker (July 20, 1754 – March 23, 1824) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Education and career Born on July 20, 1754, near Hogestown, Silver Spring ...

and Mary Duncan Walker. Her siblings included Senator

Robert J. Walker Robert John Walker (July 19, 1801November 11, 1869) was an American lawyer, economist and politician. An active member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. Senate from Mississippi from 1835 until 1845, as Secretary of the ...

. In 1824, she married General William Cook.''

Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography Appleton's or Appletons may refer to several publications published by D. Appleton & Company, New York, including: *''Appletons' Journal'' (1869–1881) *''Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'' (1887–1889) *''Appleton's Magazine'' (1905 ...

'', edited by James Grant Wilson, John Fiske and Stanley L. Klos. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889 They were the parents of Eugene Beauharnais Cook, a writer of books on chess. In 1863, she became editor of the '' Continental Review'' after her brother Robert purchased a half-interest in the journal. She toned down the strident political content and published her own poetry in the journal. The most notable work she published was "

A Tragedy of Error "A Tragedy of Error" is a short story by American writer Henry James, his first, written at the age of 21 and published anonymously in the February 1864 issue of ''Continental Monthly'' by its editor Martha Elizabeth Duncan Walker Cook. This story ...

" in February 1864, the first published story by

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

. The journal folded later that year. Cook had a particular affinity for Poland and Polish culture. She translated two works related to Poland from French and German: ''The Life of Chopin'' (1863) by

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

and ''The Undivine Comedy and Other Poems'' (1875) by

Zygmunt Krasiński Napoleon Stanisław Adam Feliks Zygmunt Krasiński (; 19 February 1812 – 23 February 1859) was a Polish poet traditionally ranked after Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki as one of Poland's Three Bards – the Romantic poets who influenced ...

. She also published translations of Polish drama in the ''Continental Review.'' Her other works include a translation of a biography of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

Guido Görres Guido Görres (28 May 1805 – 14 July 1852) was a German Catholic historian, publicist and poet. Life and works Born in Koblenz, he was the son of Joseph Görres, and made his early classical studies in his native town. During his father's ...

, serialized in ''

Freeman's Journal The ''Freeman's Journal'', which was published continuously in Dublin from 1763 to 1924, was in the nineteenth century Ireland's leading nationalist newspaper. Patriot journal It was founded in 1763 by Charles Lucas and was identified with radi ...

''. She also wrote the hymn "In some way or other the Lord will provide". Martha Elizabeth Duncan Walker Cook died on 15 September 1874 in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Martha Elizabeth Duncan Walker Created via preloaddraft 1806 births 1874 deaths American women writers American women editors American editors American hymnwriters American translators