L T Meade

L. T. Meade (Elizabeth Thomasina Meade Smith) was a prolific Irish-born author who wrote nearly 300 books over a forty-year career, becoming one of the most popular English-language writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was best known for her influential girls' school stories, particularly *A World of Girls* (1886), which established the genre and influenced later writers like Enid Blyton. Beyond children's literature, she also wrote crime fiction, science fiction, mysteries, and sensational stories, frequently collaborating with other authors and editing the literary magazine *Atalanta* for girls.