Charles Lamb was an English essayist with Welsh heritage, best known for his "Essays of Elia" and for the children's book "Tales from Shakespeare", which he produced along with his sister, Mary Lamb (17641847).Mary Ann Lamb (3 December 1764 20 May 1847) was an English writer. She is best known for the collaboration with her brother Charles on the collection Tales from Shakespeare. Mary suffered from mental illness, and in 1796 she stabbed her mother to death during a mental breakdown.