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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: Mary Jemima Albert

Author: Mary Jemima Albert (1830–1902)

Biography: Mary Jemima Albert was born in 1830 in Hounslow, the daughter of George Albert and Jemima Smithson. Her father served in the 15th King's Hussars and saw action in the Peninsular Campaign (including the retreat from Corunna) and Waterloo. Albert never married. After her father died in 1856, she, her mother, and her six siblings fell on hard times so Albert turned to writing to support her family, many of whom were invalids. As her application to the Royal Literary Fund reveals, though she wrote prolifically, she received little renumeration: "I wrote for thirteen years before I sold anything, and then received £10 from the S.P.C.K. for a small volume." Albert wrote children's books including the didactic Freddie's Latin Lessons (1871) and Butterflies and Fairies (1873) before turning to adult fare such as Behind the Kafes (1890) about harems in Constantinople; Brooke Finchley's Daughter (1891); the three-volume The Shelling of Peas (1892); and the sensational Lord Culmore's Error (1901). In addition, she wrote another dozen serial novels in popular periodicals such as The Family Herald. By 1898, Albert lived in poverty with her last surviving sister. Inexplicably, the RLF deemed her "literary claim insufficient" and refused her help. She died in 1902.

Author Tags:

References: British Census (1871, 1881); RLF (case number 2520)

Fiction Titles:

  1. Butterflies and Fairies.  1 vol.  London: S. P. C. K., 1873.
  2. Wandering Blindfold: A Boy's Troubles.  1 vol.  London: Griffith and Farran, 1879.
  3. Behind the Kafes: A Story of Constantinople.  1 vol.  Bristol: Arrowsmith, 1890.
  4. Brooke Finchley's Daughter.  1 vol.  London: Chatto and Windus, 1891.
  5. The Shelling of Peas.  3 vol.  London: Hurst and Blackett, 1892.
  6. A Hidden Terror.  1 vol.  London: William Stevens, 1893.
  7. The Luckiest Man in the World: A Novel.  1 vol.  London: Simpkin, 1896.
  8. Lord Culmore's Error: A Novel.  1 vol.  London: H. J. Drane, 1901.