Anne Wright (1793 – 18 January 1861) was a British author, most notably of children's books about natural sciences. Her most well-known work was originally published as a series of letters and later compiled into one volume, titled The Observing Eye, or Letters to Children on the Three Lowest Divisions of Animal Life (1851).
Anne Wright | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Anne Wright | |
| Born | 1793 |
| Died | 18 January 1861 |
| Spouse | John Wright |
Biography
editPersonal life
editAnne Wright was born in 1793 in Middlesex.[1] In 1816 she married John Wright, whose uncle is known for launching the first sea-going steamboat.[2] Most of her writing was complete from a farm in Buxton, Norfolk, where she was a very active participant in the community.[3] Wright had two children, Jonathon and Fredrick.[1] She died on 18 January 1861, in Blakeney, Norfolk.[4]
Writing
edit
Anne Wright's most well-known work during her time was The Observing Eye. It received great critical acclaim, a geologist, Hugh Miller, saying "[The Observing Eye] is quite a model of the way in which the study of living nature ought to be brought before the minds of children."[3] In fact, this work was chosen by Queen Victoria to be in the collection that was to be read by the royal children.[3] Wright herself took an interest in geology, sometimes gathering and studying different specimens.[3] Several of her works involved the geology and other natural sciences:
- Our World: Its Rocks and Fossils (1859)
- The Globe Prepared for Man: A Guide to Geology (1853)
- What is a Bird? The Forms of Birds – Their Instincts – and Use in Creation Considered (1857)
Community involvement
editWright was an active participant in her neighborhood. She was a figure often present at the local school, and "Mrs. Wright's Stories" drew a lot of interest from the children.[3] In 1853, Wright's husband John established a reformatory in their own neighborhood; Anne Wright was very enthusiastic about helping reform the inmates through instruction.[3]
Selected works
edit- Listen and Learn: A Short Narrative of a Three Days' Ramble
- The Observing Eye, or Letters to Children on the Three Lowest Divisions of Animal Life (1851)
- Passover Feasts and Scripture Sacrifices (1852)
- The Globe Prepared for Man: A Guide to Geology (1853)
- What is a Bird? The Forms of Birds – Their Instincts – and Use in Creation Considered (1857)
- Our World: Its Rocks and Fossils (1859)
References
edit- ^ a b Ancestry.com. 1861 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
- ^ Sewell, Mary; Sewell (Mary), Mrs (1886). Poems and Ballads. Jarrold.
- ^ a b c d e f E. H. A Brief Memorial of Mrs. Wright, late of Buxton, Norfolk. Anne Wright, Jarrold and Sons, London, 1861. UIN: BLL01017098189
- ^ Ancestry.com. England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.