For much of her adult life she was an active lecturer and prolific writer on socialism.

Nesbit was also a lifelong socialist in 1884 she was among the founding members of the influential Fabian Society. In this, Nesbit is seen as a precursor to writers such as J. Nesbit is regarded by many critics as the first truly 'modern' children's writer, in that she replaced the fantastical worlds utilised by authors such as Lewis Carroll with real-life settings marked by the occasional intrusion of magic. Among her best-known works are The Story of the Treasure Seekers (1898), The Wouldbegoods (1899) and The Railway Children (1906). Over the course of her life, Nesbit would go on to publish approximately 40 books for children, including novels, collections of stories and picture books. In 1880, Nesbit married Hubert Bland, and her writing talents – which had been in evidence during her teens – were quickly needed to bring in extra money.

Her family moved around constantly during her youth, living variously in Brighton, Buckinghamshire, France, Spain and Germany, before settling for three years in Halstead in north-west Kent, a location which later inspired her well-known novel, The Railway Children. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.Įdith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey in 1858. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. Other notable works by this author include: “The Prophet’s Mantle” (1885), “Something Wrong” (1886), and “The Marden Mystery” (1896). She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, which had a significant influence on the Labour Party and British politics in general. She is perhaps best remembered for her children’s literature, publishing more than 60 such books under the name E. Edith Nesbit (1858 – 1924) was an English poet and author. The story revolves around Edred and Elfrida Arden, two children from a poor background who inherit an old, run-down castle and attempt to track down their lost family fortunes which would enable them to restore it to its former glory.

“The House of Arden” is a 1908 children’s novel written by English poet and author Edith Nesbit.

The House of Arden by E. Nesbit