Edith Elise Cadogan Cowper[note 1] (21 July 1859 – 18 November 1933) was a prolific and popular author of adventure stories for girls.

[4] Her parents were the Reverend Edward Cadogan (1833 – 16 April 1890)[5][6] and stockbroker's daughter Alice Smith (25 January 1833 – 24 March 1913).

[6] Cowper married Frank Cooper (14 January 1849 – 28 May 1930)[9][10] at her father's church in Wicken, Northamptonshire, England on 28 December 1877.

[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Some sources suggest that Cowper had ten children, with two of them, Lois and Edward, dying in infancy, in addition to Henry.

[1]: 155  The 1891 census shows Cowper living at Lisle Court with six of her children, Gerald, age 9 at the time is absent for some reason.

The 1911 census found Cowper living with her daughter Nesta at Flat 7, Fairlawn Court, Acton Lane, Chiswick, London.

[note 3] The wilds of Canada, where one of her sons had settled before the First World War, feature in many of here stories, whether searching for gold, or trapping.

[24] Kate Flint said that while researching for the Woman Reader, she was hardly surprised to find how many girls in the nineteenth century openly preferred their brothers' books, with the active role models that they offered.

[26] The following bibliography is based on a search on the Jisc Library Hub Discover database for books authored by Cowper.