Maggie Browne facts for kids
Maggie Browne was the pen-name (a name an author uses instead of their real name) for Margaret Andrewes (born Hamer, 1864–1937). She was an English writer who created many children's books, both fiction and non-fiction. She is most famous today for her story Wanted, a King, which is a bit like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Margaret Hamer was born in 1864 in Leeds, England. Her father, John Hamer, owned a bookshop in Leeds. Her mother, Sarah Sharp Hamer, also wrote books for children. Margaret's grandfather was also a bookseller!
In the 1860s, her father joined a big publishing company called Cassell's. He became their publishing manager. By 1871, Margaret's family had moved to Islington, in London. Her younger brother, Sam Hield Hamer, also became an editor at Cassell's. He even helped discover the famous illustrator Arthur Rackham. Sam also wrote books using the name Sam Browne.
Maggie Browne's Books
Maggie Browne started her writing career early. Her first five books were published in 1884, when she was just 20 years old. These books were published by Cassell's, the same company where her father and brother worked.
Learning About the World
One of her first books was Chats About Germany (1884). This book was part of a series from Cassell's that taught young readers about different countries. Reviewers liked it, saying it was a "pleasantly chatty volume" that brought together "all manner of odds and ends of information." They said it was simple and easy to read, making it popular with children. It was so good that it was re-released in 1889!
Stories for Young Children
Maggie Browne also wrote books for very young readers. Little Mothers And Their Children and Our School Day Hours (both 1884) were part of a larger book called Album for Home, School and Play. Little Mothers was about girls playing with their dolls and was told in "the simplest of language."
She also wrote Our Pretty Pets and Creatures Tame (both 1884). These were part of another book called My Own Album of Animals. They were written in a simple style to entertain children.
Wanted, a King
Wanted, a King, Or, How Merle Set the Nursery Rhymes to Right (1890) is Maggie Browne's most famous book. It's even mentioned in The Oxford Companion of Children's Literature!
The story is about a girl named Merle. She dreams she is in a magical place called Endom while she is recovering from a fall. In Endom, she meets many characters from nursery rhymes. People loved this book, calling it "lively and imaginative." They said it was a "real fairy book" that would make her popular in all nurseries.
Many people compared Wanted, a King to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Even Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice, owned a copy! However, some experts today point out that Merle is different from Alice. Merle is brave and determined. She doesn't just go along with things; she tries to change them.
In 1928, Wanted, a King was even turned into a play!
Fun Activities and More Stories
After Wanted, a King, Maggie Browne wrote Pleasant Work for Busy Fingers (1891). This book was a helpful guide for children who loved to make things. It taught them how to create "delightful things" from simple materials like paper, beads, and clay. It was based on a German book and had many diagrams to help children follow along.
Another popular book was Two Old Ladies, Two Foolish Fairies and a Tom Cat (1897). This story is about two young fairies who leave fairyland to see if children still believe in fairies. They have many adventures and find that children still love fairy tales!
Maggie Browne's stories also appeared in Little Folks, a popular magazine for young people published by Cassell & Co. Some of her stories, like The Surprising Adventures of Tuppy and Tue (1904) and her last known work, The Book Of Betty Barber (1910), were first published in this magazine before becoming full books. The Book Of Betty Barber was even illustrated by the famous Arthur Rackham. It was described as a "charming story of the fantastical adventures of some very fantastical children."
Personal Life
In 1896, Margaret Hamer married Herbert Edward Andrewes. He was a stockbroker and had worked in India. Interestingly, Herbert's brother, Frederick William Andrewes, had married Margaret's sister, Phyllis Mary Hamer, the year before!
Margaret and Herbert had two children: Ursula (born 1899), who became a university lecturer, and Humfrey (born 1902), who became an electrical engineer.
Maggie Browne passed away on January 11, 1937.
Books by Maggie Browne
- Chats About Germany (1884)
- The Album for Home, School and Play (1884)
- Little Mothers And Their Children
- Our School Day Hours
- My Own Album of Animals (1884)
- Creatures Tame
- Our Pretty Pets
- Our Holiday Hours (1887)
- Up And Down The Garden (1887)
- Wandering Ways (1889)
- Dumb Friends (1889)
- Wanted – A King, illustrated by Harry Furniss. (1890)
- Pleasant Work For Busy Fingers (1891)
- A Bundle of Tales (1892) (with Sam Browne and Aunt Ethel)
- Rub-A-Dub Tales (1892)
- Firelight Stories (1892)
- Sunday Stories For Small People (1893)
- Tales Told For Sunday (1893)
- Bright Tales And Funny Pictures (1894)
- Two Old Ladies, Two Foolish Fairies And A Tom Cat (1897)
- "Kurus – the King of the Cannibal Islands", in A Big Temptation (1900), by L. T. Meade, M. B. Manwell and Maggie Brown
- How To Get Up A Children's Play (1903)
- The Surprising Adventures of Tuppy and Tue (1904)
- The Book Of Betty Barber, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. (Duckworth, 1910; first published in Cassell's Little Folks, 1901)
