Sarah Smith | |
|---|---|
 Sarah Smith | |
| Born | 27 July 1832 Wellington, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 8 October 1911 (aged 79) Ham, London, England |
| Pen name | Hesba Stretton |
| Occupation | Writer (novelist) |
| Nationality | English |
| Period | 19th century |
| Genre | Children's literature |
Hesba Stretton was the pseudonym of Sarah Smith (27 July 1832 – 8 October 1911), an evangelical English author of religious books for children. These were highly popular. By the late 19th century Jessica's First Prayer had sold a million and a half copies – ten times more than Alice in Wonderland.[1] She concocted "Hesba Stretton" from the initials of herself and four surviving siblings, along with the name of a Shropshire village she visited, All Stretton, where her sister Anne owned a house, Caradoc Lodge.[2]
- ^ Brian Alderson: "Tracts, Reward and Fairies: the Victorian contribution to children's literature". In: Essays in the History of Publishing..., ed. Asa Briggs (London: Longman, 1974), p. 268
- ^ Dickins, Gordon (1987). An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire. Shropshire Libraries. pp. 71, 87. ISBN 0-903802-37-6.