Margaret Moyes Black, who also wrote under the pseudonym M.B. Fife, was a Scottish novelist and biographer active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born on April 27, 1853, in the parish of Scoonie, Fife, she was the daughter of William Black, a shipmaster, and Margaret Moyes Deas. She spent her life in Scotland, remaining unmarried until her death in Montrose, Angus, in 1935. Black began her literary career with the publication of her first novel, In Glenoran, which she published under her pseudonym. Her writing often reflected her Scottish heritage and local environments. She is perhaps best remembered for her biographical contribution to the Famous Scots Series, in which she wrote a volume dedicated to the celebrated author Robert Louis Stevenson. In the preface of this biographical work, Black noted that her account was a personal reminiscence and appreciation, drawing from her close acquaintance with Stevenson and his family circle in Edinburgh between 1869 and 1880. This personal connection lent a unique, intimate perspective to her biographical writing, capturing the early life of one of Scotland's most famous literary figures.
