A short story by P. L. Travers about the woman who inspired Mary Poppins is to be made available to the public for the first time.

The author, who was immortalised by Emma Thompson in 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks, printed 500 copies of Aunt Sass and handed them out to friends and family as Christmas presents in 1941.

The story, based on the writer's real life relative of the same name, is now to be revived by publishers at Virago, who will issue it in book form along with two other previously unseen tales by Travers later this year (14).

Editor Donna Coonan tells Britain's The Guardian newspaper, "I thought if they (the stories) hadn't been in print before, they couldn't be that good - but I was absolutely bowled over by them, moved to tears. They're incredible."

Travers cited Aunt Sass as one of the inspirations for her iconic nanny character Mary Poppins, who was played on the big screen by Dame Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney film.