Jane Loudon

Jane Loudon
BornJane Webb
(1807-08-19)19 August 1807
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Died13 July 1858(1858-07-13) (aged 50)
London, England
OccupationAuthor
NationalityBritish
Genre
  • gardening
  • science fiction
Literary movement
  • Early science fiction
  • feminist fiction
  • amateur gardening
Notable works
SpouseJohn Claudius Loudon
Plate from The Ladies' Flower-Garden of Ornamental Perennials (1843)

Jane Loudon (née Webb; 19 August 1807 – 13 July 1858), also known as Jane C. Loudon, or Mrs. Loudon in her publications,[1] was an English writer and early pioneer of science fiction. She wrote before the term was coined, and was discussed for a century as a writer of Gothic fiction, fantasy or horror. She also created the first popular gardening manuals, as opposed to specialist horticultural works, reframing the art of gardening as fit for young women. She was married to the well-known horticulturalist John Claudius Loudon, and they wrote some books together, as well as her own very successful series.

  1. ^ Parilla, Lesley. "(Not so) Secret life of a woman naturalist: Mrs. Jane C. Loudon 1807-1858". Unbound. Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Retrieved 30 December 2022.