Mary Johnston (1870–1936) was an American novelist known for her historical fiction. Her works are often set against historical backgrounds, and her representative novel H. P. and Keep, with its focus on women's circumstances, reflects her concern with social issues. The library holds one of her works, 1492, commonly classified as inspirational growth, which may relate to the themes of exploration and personal development of its characters. Public information about the details of her life is limited, so no further elaboration is given here; nevertheless, the available information shows that she was skilled at shaping characters through historical narrative and at weaving reflections on women's fate and social reality into her plots. Her historical novels had a certain influence on American readers of her time and offer later generations a reference for understanding the historical writing and women's writing of that period.
