Women novelists

Alldridge, Lizzie. The Queen’s House. London: Richard Bentley & Son, 1886, 3 volumes, publisher’s sage green cloth, floral endpapers, occasional slight spotting, spines slightly chipped at head and foot, [not in Sadleir; Wolff 93]--Banks, Mrs G. Linnaeus. The Manchester Man. London: Hurst & Blackett, 1876, 3 volumes, half-titles, with advertisements as required, grass green seed grain cloth, lettered in gilt on spines, ‘Old Rose’ end papers, some wear to endpapers, occasional slight spotting, covers and spine lightly rubbed[Sadleir 154; Wolff 243]--Bothmer,  Countess M. Von. Aut Caesar aut Nihil. London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1883, 3 volumes, half-titles, publisher’s mustard yellow cloth, ruled in blind, spine lettered in gilt, green foliate endpapers (variant not noted in Wolff), some slight offsetting, [not in Sadleir; Wolff 603]--Carter, Mary E. Mrs Severn. London: Richard Bentley & Son, 1889, 3 volumes, half-titles, 2 page of publisher’s advertisments at the end of vols. 2 and 3, publisher’s red cloth with bevelled edges, lettered in gilt, foliate endpapers, minor scuff marks on covers, spines slightly faded [not in Sadleir or Wolff]--Cholmondeley, Mary. A Devotee. London: Edward Arnold, 1897, half-title, 13 pages of publisher’s advertisements at end, publisher’s greenish grey ribbed cloth, blocked in dark grey and lettered in gilt, with slip pasted to the front free end paper “With Marys Love. March 10 1997” (with pencil note describing this as “Authors Presentation Copy to her Brother”), spine slightly bumped at head and foot[ Sadleir 549; Wolff 1211]--Fetherstonhaugh, the Hon. Mrs. Alan Dering. London: Richard Bentley & Son, 1880, 2 volumes, publisher’s red brown cloth,  wild flower decoration in black on upper covers and spines, lettered in black on upper covers and in gilt on spines, pale yellow endpapers, title-pages slightly browned, spines slightly rubbed at joints and ends[not in Sadleir or Wolff]--Forde, Gertrude. In the Olde Palazzo. London: F.V.White & Co., 1885, 3 volumes, presentation copy inscribed by the author to John Leach, publisher’s smooth grey lavender cloth, title and vignette of domed cupola in gilt on covers, floral endpapers, flyleaves annotated in pencil, small mark on lower cover vol.2, spines bumped at head and foot[not in Sadleir; Wolff 2288]--Galton, Gwendolen Douglas. A Step Aside. London: Horace Cox, 1893, 3 volumes, half-titles, publisher’s three-quarters smooth red-brown cloth, sides morocco-grain, floral endpapers, occasional spotting, spines bumped at head and foot [not in Sadleir; Wolff 2407]--[Hardy, Elizabeth]. Owen Glendower; or, The Prince in Wales. London: Richard Bentley, 1849, 2 volumes, publisher’s rose cloth, ruled and blocked in blind, spine lettered in gilt, pale yellow endpapers with printed advertisements, some slight wear to edges, spines faded, small chip at head of spine vol.1[not in Sadleir or Wolff]--Hemphill, Barbara. Freida the Jongleur, London: Chapman & Hall, 1857, 3 volumes, presentation copy inscribed by the author’s son, Charles Hare Hemphill, to the Duchess of Bedford, with 72p. publisher’s catalogue dated 1857 at the end of volume 3, publisher’s olive green blind stamped ripple grain cloth, spines lettered in gilt, yellow endpapers, bindings slightly faded [not in Sadleir or Wolff]--Knox, Kathleen. Poor Archie’s Girls. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1882, 3 volumes, publisher’s light brown cloth, stamped with foliate motif and lettered in dark green, spine lettered in gilt, foliate endpapers, some spotting and offsetting[not in Sadleir or Wolff]--[Le Fanu, Eleanor]. Up and Down the World. By Russell Gray. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1869, 3 volumes, half-titles, publisher’s dark green cloth blocked in blind, spines lettered in gilt, occasional spotting [not in Sadleir or Wolff]--Thomas, Annie Hall (Mrs Pender Cudlip). Mrs Cardigan. London: Chapman & Hall, 1879, 3 volumes, half-titles, publisher’s brown cloth blocked in black, pale yellow endpapers, some slight spotting[not in Sadleir or Wolff] -- Yonge, Charlotte Mary. Stray Pearls. London: Macmillan & Co., 1883, 2 volumes, half-titles, 2 pages of advertisements at end of each volume, publisher’s dark green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, some offsetting[not in Sadleir; Wolff p.290 (46)]; 8vo and 12mo, first editions, 14 works in 37 volumes

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Isabella Varley Banks, who wrote under the name Mrs G. Banks, was an ardent supporter of women’s rights and a successful novelist who, in spite of prolonged periods of poverty and ill-health, managed to support her family by her writing until her death in 1897.  The Manchester Man, set in that city at the time of the Peterloo Massacre, was her most successful novel, going through five editions in her lifetime. 

The author of over 200 works, Charlotte Yonge was born into a religious family and at an early age fell under the influence of John Keble, one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Now considered "the Tractarian movement's most important lay voice as well as its most comprehensive chronicler" (Elizabeth Jay, DNB), Yonge used her writing to promote her religious beliefs, in particular by funding missionary projects and the building of churches.