Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, nee Hamilton, (1855-1897), was an Irish novelist whose light romantic fiction was popular in England and America in the late 19th century. As a child she enjoyed making up stories, and won prizes for her writing at school. She was educated at Portarlington College. She wrote her first novel Phyliss (1877) when she was 18 years old. Soon after its favourable reception, she wrote Molly Bawn (1878), which became her most well-known book. She was one of the few women in Victorian times who was both a prolific author and mother of a sizeable family. She approached her writing methodically, setting aside three hours every morning for it. The room where she did her writing had neatly organized manuscripts at her desk, surrounded by many reference works, novels, and other books. Her books were first published anonymously, and later as by "Mrs. Hungerford." In the United States, her books were mostly published under the pen name "The Duchess." Amongst her other works are The Haunted Chamber (1886) and A Little Rebel (1890).