Edith Nesbit's first great success was The Story of the Treasure-Seekers (1899). Her most celebrated book remains The Railway Children, published in 1906. Her great gift was the ability to create child characters who are real young human beings behaving naturally. Her unhappy marriage gave her much experience with children; as well as bringing up her own four by her philandering husband, she consented to bring Bland's illegimate offspring into her household.