Lydia Hoyt Farmer (1842–1903) was a prominent nineteenth-century American author and women's rights activist. Throughout her active career, she was a highly prolific contributor to leading newspapers and magazines of her day, writing across a wide array of genres including poetry, essays, juvenile stories, historical sketches, and novels. Deeply religious by nature, Farmer sought to infuse all of her literary endeavors with a strong moral foundation, endeavoring to balance educational instruction with an engaging and amusing tone for her readers.\n\nOne of her most significant contributions to the women's movement of her era was editing the volume What America Owes to Women, which was compiled specifically for the Woman's Department of the World's Columbian Exposition. Her extensive bibliography reflects her diverse intellectual interests, featuring educational and historical works such as A Story Book of Science, Short History of the French Revolution, and Girls' Book of Famous Queens. She also wrote popular fiction and religious writings, including A Knight of Faith, Aunt Belindy's Point of View, and The Doom of the Holy City, establishing herself as a versatile voice in late nineteenth-century American literature.
