Annie Fields (1834–1915) was an American writer and the hostess of a literary salon in Boston. Public information about her early education and personal life is limited; what can be confirmed is that she co-authored books with her husband and received literary guests in her home, making her an active woman in Boston's cultural circles of the time. One work by her is held in this collection, Authors and Friends. Judging by the title and its common classification, the book centers on writers and friends and has the character of essays and reminiscences, with a plain and cordial style in its portraits of people and events. Through this work, readers can sense the atmosphere of literary social life in nineteenth-century Boston and the author's observations and reflections from her dealings with literary figures.
