Margaret Marshall Saunders

The author who gave animals a voice – and a million readers listened

Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861 – 1947) was one of the world’s foremost writers of animal and children’s stories. Her bestselling novel Beautiful Joe was the first Canadian book to sell over one million copies – but it was her advocacy for animal rights and social reform that made her legacy truly lasting.

Margaret was born in Milton, Nova Scotia, but she received an international education – in Scotland, France, and Nova Scotia – that enriched both her worldview and her literary style. Reflecting on her lifelong passion for animals, she once stated, ‘I love animals because my parents and grandparents loved them before me’. Her mother, Maria, nurtured that love and filled the family home with pets.

In 1894, Saunders published Beautiful Joe, the true story of a dog rescued from abuse. The dog – whose ears and tail had been cut off by a cruel owner – was adopted by a local family and later saved their lives. The novel struck a chord internationally. It won a $200 prize from the American Humane Educational Society and went on to become a publishing phenomenon – the first Canadian book to sell more than a million copies.

She followed Beautiful Joe with dozens of other titles, including fourteen animal-themed stories, all with strong moral messages aimed at young readers.

Saunders was not only a writer – she was a dedicated reformer. She actively participated in more than twenty civic and charitable organizations, including:

• The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

• The National Council of Women

• The Local Council of Women in Halifax

• The Humane Society

• The Women’s Christian Temperance Union

She also helped found the Maritime branch of the Canadian Women’s Press Club, working alongside fellow writer L.M. Montgomery. True to her convictions, she donated a large portion of her royalties to animal welfare organizations.

Margaret Marshall Saunders passed away in Toronto in 1947 at the age of 86. That same year, she was designated a Person of National Historic Significance – one of Canada’s highest honours.

She is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. Her legacy lives on in the lives she changed – both human and animal – through her stories and tireless advocacy.

Image Source:
Author (n.d.), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Margaret_Marshall_Saunders_001.jpg

References:

Morgan, Henry J. (Ed., 1903). Types of Canadian Women. William Briggs, Toronto.

Canada's Early Women Writers. SFU Library Digital Collections. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada. 1980–2014. https://digital.lib.sfu.ca/ceww-512/saunders-margaret-marshall

Acadia Archives. (ca. 1900s). Margaret Marshall Saunders, manuscript: How I began to write. Acadia University Digital Collections. Retrieved from https://digital-archives.acadiau.ca/node/2525