Jane Taylor

Rachel: a Tale (Dodo Press) Jane Taylor

Jane Taylor (1783-1824), was an English poet and novelist. She wrote the words for the song Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in 1806 at age 23. The poem is now known worldwide, but its authorship is generally forgotten. It was first published under the title The Star in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her older sister Ann (later Mrs. Gilbert). The sisters, and their authorship of various works, have often been confused, in part because their early works were published together. The collection, Original Poems for Infant Minds by Several Young Persons (i. e. Ann and Jane Taylor and others) was first issued in two volumes in 1804 and 1805. Rhymes for the Nursery followed in 1806, and Hymns for Infant Minds in 1808.