Law, Charlotte, editor.

A Winter’s Wreath of Illustrative Tales…[and] Sympathy. A Tale. By E.A.M. [Elizabeth Anne Maling?]

London: James Hogg & Sons, [1861]. First edition.. A collection of didactic stories for children featuring virtuous figures (both real and fictional) like “Father of Railways” George Stephenson (1781 – 1848) and an elderly man named Bob, the titular character of the chapter “The Story of an African Negro.” When the main character of “The Story of an African Negro,” a young white boy named Walter, arrives by ship to Barbados, he meets the kind and docile Bob. Walter takes care of the ninety-seven-year-old Bob when he is sick, and Bob teaches Walter about the virtues of patience and piety. With four hand-colored plates (including frontispiece). Some rubbing to cloth and cracking to joints (though binding holds firm). New endpapers. Ink gift signature (dated 1905) to preliminary blank. Some dustsoiling and toning. A very good, tight copy of a scarce book. Publisher’s brown pebbled cloth titled in gilt. Small octavo. 124, [4, ads] pp. Item #17552

Lady Henrietta Charlotte Law (1798 – 1866) was the daughter of George Harry Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford and Warrington and his wife, Henrietta. She married Rev. James Thomas Law in 1820. This appears to be her only published book. The short story Sympathy is probably the work of Elizabeth Anne Maling (1829 – 1866), the author of almost a dozen books on home gardening, flower arranging, and birdkeeping, as well as novels. Sympathy reflects Maling’s interest in horticulture and birdkeeping: the story focuses on a young girl’s adventures in her family’s garden as she learns about flowers and birds. Maling’s other books include In-door Plants and How to Grow Them (1861); the novel Cragstone Cottage (1862); and Birds and Flowers (1862), a gardening guide for children published by Emily Faithfull’s Victoria Press.

OCLC records only two physical copies (BL and University of Florida).

Price: $750.00