Eva March Tappan

Tappan entered the world on December 26, 1854, the only daughter of Edmund, a graduate of Dartmouth College and a pastor of the Free Baptist Church, and Lucretia, a teacher.  When her father passed away, Tappan was six years old.  She spent her youth traveling to different seminaries wherever her mother taught.  By the time she was ready to attend college, Vassar College had been established, and Tappan graduated in 1875, after studying English and literature and editing the Vassas Miscellany.

From student to teacher, Tappan taught in schools for over twenty years and served as an associate principal.  During this time she also returned to gain more education, receiving a masters degree in arts and a doctorate in philosophy.  Tappan was one of the first women admitted into the philosophy department at the University of Pennsylvania's graduate school.  Back to teaching, Tappan took the position of head of the English department at the English High School in Worcester, Massachusetts.  At the age of 42, already very accomplished in her chosen profession, Tappan began writing children's books.  Her fascination with literature and famous historical people intrigued readers as well, and Tappan left teaching to become a full-time author.

Writing over fifty books, Tappan penned works that were used in schools as reference books and as textbooks.  She retold stories of the past, Old Testament stories, and Swedish fairy tales.  Her books delved into adventure, myth, poetry, history, and biographies.  An ambitious task, Tappan compiled ten volumes of children's literature called The Children's Hour.  She wanted children to read, find more to read, and think about what they had read.  

A constant companion to her mother until she passed away in 1911, Tappan rarely traveled, preferring to stay close to home.  During World War I, Tappan used her writing skills to become the assistant editor of the U.S. Food Administration.  An avid reader and prolific writer, Tappan worked until a month before her death at age 75 on January 29, 1930.

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