Maria Edgeworth
Children's Author
Esteemed English-Irish author of both children's and adult novels. Her best-known works include The Parent's Assistant (1796) and Practical Education (1798).
She attended school in London until 1781, when she almost lost her sight due to an eye infection. Afterwards, she was tutored by her father, whom she repaid by helping him manage the family's estate in Edgeworthtown, Ireland.
She was one of the foremost children's authors of her time and was an influential figure in the progression of European literature. Her views on education and politics were similar to those of David Ricardo and Sir Walter Scott.
She was born in Oxfordshire, England to Anna Maria Elers and Richard Lovell Edgeworth. Her father was married four times and had twenty-two children, only several of whom were her full siblings.
Jonathan Swift was another their Irish author.