Martha Evans Martin (1856–1925)

Martha Evans Martin was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. She attended DePauw University and then went to work as a schoolteacher and later as a court reporter. After she became involved in newspaper writing, she was named associate editor of the Richmond Daily Telegram, a newspaper purchased by her husband Edwin Campbell Martin. They co-published the paper for about 10 years. In 1890, she and her husband moved to New York City. She contributed numerous popular science articles to The New York Times and other publications and became an editor of McClure’s and Demorest’s magazines. In 1907, with the support of her husband and older sister, she published The Friendly Stars, a book on astronomy for young readers. The book proved very popular and went through several editions. In 1912, she published The Ways of the Planets, another book that was influential with young future astronomers.