Howitt
William and Mary, two English authors whose names are appropriately mentioned together. William Howitt (1792-1879) was of Quaker parentage. He was born at Heanor, Derbyshire. he early showed a taste for literature, publishing verses at the age of thirteen. In 1823 he married Mary Botham (1799-1888) a lady of intellect and literary acquirements. Together they published several volumes of poems in which Mrs. Howitt's work is the more worthy of note. Mr. Howitt's best prose works are those which treat of English history and scenery. The Book of the Seasons, Rural Life in England, Visits to Remarkable Places, and Homes and Haunts of the British Poets are among them. The couple lived for some years in Germany, where Mr. Howitt wrote Student Life in Germany, and Rural and Domestic Life in Germany. Mrs. Howitt translated the stories of Frederika Bremer, the Swedish novelist, and those of Hans Christian Andersen. She also wrote Tales for Children and many poems. Her stories and children's poems were popular both in England and in the United States. None of these is more widely known, probably, than The Spider and the Fly:
Said a spider to a fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor
That ever you did spy.
The way into my parlor
Is up a winding stair,
And I have many pretty things
To show when you are there."