ABSTRACT
THE MARY POPPINS BOOKS The name Mary Poppins is universally recognized, yet few people have actually read or even know of the books in which this character first appeared.1 Mary Poppins achieved fame with the 1964 Disney film and is one of those familiar figures that seem to belong to the collective imagination. Her image is immediately recognizable and feeds into a certain common denominator of shared knowledge, meaning that children might dress up in Mary Poppins costumes at Halloween time or that commercials might profit by borrowing from her iconic status in order to sell products. In whatever context she appears, we find those same defining props: the parachute-like umbrella, the handbag, gloves and flower-adorned hat; and those same defining characteristics: the ability to solve all problems and soothe all worries.
