Mary Ann Lamb

Background

She was born in London, England, United Kingdom on December 3, 1764. The third of seven children of John and Elizabeth Lamb.

Education

She attended a day-school in Holborn and received no further formal education, though she read extensively in the library of her father's employer.

Career

On Sept. 22, 1796, she became enraged at a child who worked for the Lambs; when she attempted to attack the girl, her own mother intervened and was fatally wounded by her. She was charged with temporary insanity and given into the custody of her brother Charles, in whose care she remained until his death.

Mary Lamb was subject to recurrent attacks of insanity all her life. Mary Lamb's best-known work is Tales from Shakespeare, written in collaboration with her brother and first published in 1807. Designed to appeal to young readers, the tales are prose versions of fourteen of Shakespeare's comedies and six of his tragedies. All of the tales from the comedies are by Mary, and it is evident that the conception of the stories and the planning of the book were mainly hers, though her name did not appear upon the title page of the work during her lifetime. Mrs. Leicester's School (1809) and Poetry for Children (1809), a collection of original verses on a variety of subjects, written with appreciative sympathy for the child's point of view, were also composed in collaboration by Charles and Mary Lamb, and these, too, were first published under Charles's name alone.

Achievements

• She is known for her collection Tales from Shakespeare, made in collaboration with her brother Charles. Her collection of tales Mrs. Leicester's School she published herself.

Connections

Mary and her brother Charles both decided that they would remain unmarried and live together for the rest of their lives, in a state described by Charles as "a sort of double singleness".

Father:

John Lamb

Mother:

Elizabeth Lamb

Brother:

Charles

Friend:

Sarah Stoddart