Laura Belinda Charlotte Jewry (married name Laura Valentine, pen names Mrs. S. Valentine and Aunt Louisa; 1814–1899) was a Victorian English writer primarily known for her children's literature.[1] Her work was often produced in children's series including Aunt Louisa's Toy Books, Aunt Louisa’s Big Picture Series, and The Young Folk's Shakespeare Series.[2][3]

Part of Laura Valentine's Big Picture Series

Biography

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Laura Belinda Charlotte Jewry was born at the Victory in England. Her father, Admiral Jewry, served in the English Navy. At an early age, she connected with the Lord Elphinstone family. She spent her maiden life in India till she married Reverend Richard Valentine, a clergyman of the Church of England. Within 12 months of their marriage, she was widowed.

Her literature often was educational, told of travel, or described the London scene.[4][5] As an adult novelist, Laura Valentine specialized in florid historical romance. Her main novels were Kirkholme Priory (1847), The Vassal (1850), and The Cup and the Lip (1851).[4] Valentine expressed an expertise in Shakespeare, editing "The Works of William Shakespeare" and creating a number of children's versions of Shakespeare plays including The Merchant of Venice and The Tempest.[2] Professionally, Valentine was one of the chief editors of Frederick Warne & Co and the sole editor of Girl's Home Book and The Chandos Classics. Most of Valentine's work was published through Frederick Warne & Co and T. C. Newby.[4]

Valentine died at the age of 84 still an active writer. She was survived only by her sister Mary Jewry for five or six years.[6]

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ "Aunt Louisa's Books", retrieved 16 April 2011.
  2. ^ a b Valentine, Laura (Jewry) (1882). The merchant of Venice... New York. hdl:2027/loc.ark:/13960/t6446kb6r.
  3. ^ "Home games for little girls". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Sutherland, John (13 October 2014). The Longman Companion to Victorian Fiction. Routledge. ISBN 9781317863335.
  5. ^ Norcia, Megan A. (1 March 2012). "'Come Buy, Come Buy': Christina Rossetti's 'Goblin Market' and the Cries of London". Journal of Victorian Culture. 17 (1): 24–45. doi:10.1080/13555502.2011.630268. ISSN 1355-5502.
  6. ^ H., Peet, Wm. (2 October 1915). "Laura Jewry, afterwards Mrs. R. Valentine". Notes and Queries. s11-XII (301). doi:10.1093/nq/s11-XII.301.266 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 0029-3970.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Sea side". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  8. ^ "Aunt Louisa's welcome visitor". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  9. ^ "Home games for little girls". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  10. ^ "Santa Claus and his works". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  11. ^ "Playtime stories". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  12. ^ "The Zoological gardens". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  13. ^ "Humorous pictures". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  14. ^ "Hop O'my Thumb". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  15. ^ "Aunt Louisa's welcome guest". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  16. ^ "Aunt Louisa's welcome visitor". University of Florida Digital Collections.
  17. ^ "Hector the dog". University of Florida Digital Collections.
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