Mary Scott

Mary Edith Scott (; 23 September 1888 – 16 July 1979) was a New Zealand novelist, teacher and librarian. She was a prolific writer who specialised in romantic comedies set in rural New Zealand, and her books were widely read both in New Zealand and overseas. From 1953 to 1978 she wrote at a rate of at least one book per year. She published over thirty novels, five detective novels written jointly with Joyce West, an autobiography, and three collections of plays. After graduating she continued her teaching career. In around 1912 she climbed the mountain range of The Remarkables with her brother and was possibly the first woman to do so. The first collection was published by Thomas Avery & Sons, New Plymouth and they were thereafter published by A.H. and A.W. Reed. They were set on the New Zealand "backblocks", a term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe remote rural farmland. The Manawatu Times said the first collection was "a gem which should be on the shelves of all collectors of New Zealand books", and warned readers that "the whole edition is likely to be sold out by Christmas".

Scott's novels were mainly light and contemporary romantic comedies set in the King Country, published both in London and New Zealand. Stevens highlighted One of the Family (1958) as one of the most successful of the novels, about an English uncle visiting New Zealand. and in the 1960s collaborated with fellow New Zealand writer Joyce West on five detective novels starring the character Inspector Wright.

In 1940 Scott was asked how she managed to find time to run a farm, a family and a home as well as write. In response, she said that her husband would be annoyed if she said she ran the farm, that nobody could be said to "run" a family, and that her home ran itself.

Scott was a household name in New Zealand during her lifetime. Her novels were also popular overseas and translated into several European languages. In Germany she had several bestsellers; her book Breakfast at Six, first published in 1953 and the most popular of her novels, and a new edition was published by Weltbild in 2001. An article in The Press in 1957 noted that very few other New Zealand authors had had works translated into foreign languages at that time, save Katherine Mansfield and Ngaio Marsh.

Selected works