The Young Cadet..by Mrs. Hofland.
London: A.K. Newman and Company, 1836. A New Edition,” revised and altered by the author. OCLC gives early dates of 1820 (Philadelphia imprint, also described as a “new edition”) and 1827. Hofland notes in “To the Reader” that she was “induced to alter the original, in so far as to omit that account of the Burmese War which formed a great object of interest at the time it was written, but is now become less attractive” (p. v). Engraved frontispiece and additional engraved title-page. Binding extremities lightly worn, very minor soiling to boards. Contemporary ink inscription on front flyleaf and contemporary engraved armorial bookplate on front pastedown. A very good copy in a remarkable binding. Contemporary green calf stamped elaborately in blind, gilt-lettered spine, all edges gilt. Octavo. xi, [1, blank], 237, [1, blank], [1, publisher’s ads] pp. Item #17353
Barbara Hofland (bap. 1770, d. 1844) was a writer and children’s novelist. Her most popular children’s work was The Son of a Genius, which was frequently reprinted and translated into several languages. However, it was her book The Daughter-in-Law (1812) that so impressed Queen Charlotte that she gave permission for Hofland to dedicate a later book to her. Her literary output was prolific; she authored sixty-six titles, not including her contributions to periodicals (Oxford DNB). The Young Cadet is a children’s novel that tells the story of young Henry Delamere’s adventures whilst abroad in India, which include visiting Bombay, traveling to a pagoda (complete with “hideous” idols), and witnessing the burning of Indian widows.
The Feminist Companion to Literature in English, p. 530. OCLC lists six copies of the present edition in the United States.
Price: $250.00