Edith Nesbit

Rosamund Edith Nesbit Bland (1886–1950) was an English author and the adopted daughter of the writer Edith Nesbit. Born Rosamund Bland, her parents were Alice Hoatson and Hubert Bland, who was married to Edith Nesbit. Hoatson joined the Blands' household during her pregnancy with Rosamund, and Nesbit raised the child as her own after a personal loss. Rosamund had a brother, John, also born to Hoatson and Hubert Bland.

Bland's literary output included the novel "The Man in the Stone House" (1934), which explored a young woman's liberation from a restrictive upbringing. She also contributed to children's literature, with works like "Moo-Cow Tales," and co-authored "Cat's Tales" with Edith Nesbit. Beyond her writing, Bland was involved with significant figures in esoteric thought. She served as a secretary to the Russian esotericist P.D. Ouspenskii, whom she met through Alfred Richard Orage, and was also associated with Armenian philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff in the 1920s. Her personal life included a youthful relationship with H.G. Wells and a marriage to Clifford Sharp, which some suggest was for social conformity.

Rosamund Edith Nesbit Bland's life intersected significantly with prominent figures in esoteric philosophy. In 1921, she began a relationship with P.D. Ouspenskii, a Russian esotericist and student of G.I. Gurdjieff, whom she had met through Alfred Richard Orage. Bland subsequently took on the role of Ouspenskii's secretary, indicating a deep involvement in his teachings and activities. During the 1920s, she was also connected with Gurdjieff himself, the Armenian philosopher and founder of a spiritual and philosophical movement. These associations placed Bland at the heart of intellectual circles exploring mystical and philosophical ideas during that era.

As an author, Rosamund Edith Nesbit Bland published the novel "The Man in the Stone House" in 1934. This work centered on a teenage girl's struggle to break free from the constraints of a conservative upbringing. Bland also contributed to children's literature, with titles such as "Moo-Cow Tales," and collaborated with her adoptive mother, Edith Nesbit, on "Cat's Tales." Her personal life was marked by a reported teenage relationship with H.G. Wells, and a later marriage to Clifford Sharp in 1909, which some scholars have theorized was a union of convenience to meet societal expectations. She also had a long-standing relationship with Alfred Richard Orage before her involvement with Ouspenskii.