This project report relates to The
English Novel, 1770-1829: A Bibliographical Survey Published
in the British Isles, edd. Peter Garside, James Raven,
and Rainer Schöwerling, 2 vols. (Oxford: OUP, 2000). In
particular, it offers fresh commentary on the entries
in the second volume, which was co-edited by Peter Garside
and Rainer Schöwerling, with the assistance of Christopher
Skelton-Foord and Karin Wünsche, and involved close co-operation
between Cardiff University and Paderborn University in
Germany. While it was the aim of the Bibliography to provide
a marked improvement on existing sources, any claim to
have achieved absolute closure in such an unstable literary
area as the novel at this period would be vain; and almost
inevitably new materials have come to light in the year
or so that has intervened between publication and the
preparation of this report. A good proportion of these
materials have emerged as a result of work at CEIR in
advancing our Database of British Fiction, 1800-29,
especially through the continuing trawls made through
contemporary reviews and circulating library catalogues.
Where promptings have been found in such secondary sources,
they have been followed up through examination of copies
of original works. New findings have also sent in by interested
individuals outside Cardiff, and these communications
are recognised below, while information of this nature
continues to be actively sought by the CEIR team.
The entries below are organised in a
way which matches the order of material within entries
in the English Novel, 1770-1829. Sections A and
B concern authorship, with the first of these proposing
changes to the attribution as given in the printed Bibliography,
and the second recording the discovery of new information
of interest that has nevertheless not led to new attributions.
Sections C and D relate to titles, the first describing
ten titles which match the criteria for inclusion and
should ideally have been incorporated in the printed Bibliography,
while the second (D) lists a further five titles already
in the Bibliography but for which surviving copies could
not previously be located. The last two sections involve
information such as is usually found in the Notes
field of entries, and those owning copies of the printed
Bibliography might wish (as in the case of the earlier
categories) to amend entries accordingly. An element of
colour coding has been used to facilitate recognition
of the nature of changes, with red
denoting revisions and additions to existing entries in
the Bibliography, and the ten new titles discovered being
picked out in blue. References
numbers (e.g. 1800: 4) are the same as those in the English
Novel, 1770-1829; when found as cross references these
refer back to the original Bibliography, unless accompanied
with 'above' or 'below', in which case a cross reference
within the present report is intended. Abbreviations match
those listed at the beginning volume 2 of the English
Novel, though in a few cases these are spelled out
more fully for the convenience of present readers. The
entries also refer to a number of circulating library
catalogues, four of which (Bettisson, Kinnear, Manchester,
and Newman) are described in CEIR Project Report 4. Additionally,
the present Report makes use of two further catalogues,
details from which have since been added to the Database
at CEIR: C. H. Marshall at Bath (1808, with MS additions),
and Gerrard Tyrrell at Dublin (1834).
This report was prepared by Professor
Peter Garside, with significant inputs of information
from Dr Jacqueline Belanger, who collected materials in
reviews and library catalogues, and Anthony Mandal, who
tracked down and recorded a number of new titles. Information
was also generously communicated from outside by a number
of individuals, notably: Mr Roger Bettridge, of the Buckinghamshire
County Record office; Dr Gillian Hughes, General Editor
of the Stirling / South Carolina Research Edition of the
Collected Works of James Hogg; Dr Sharon Ragaz, University
of Toronto; and Professors Rolf Loeber and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber,
from Pittsburgh University, whose pioneering work in preparing
a Bibliography of Irish fiction has also more generally
stimulated the research at Cardiff. As usual the team
has greatly benefited from its association with Projekt
Corvey at Paderborn University, particularly in this instance
through advice about German works received from Verena
Ebbes. Thanks are also due to Michael Bott, of Reading
University Library, for help received in locating materials
in the Longman archives; and to the trustees of the National
Library of Scotland [NLS] for permission to quote from
manuscripts in their care.
A: New Author Attributions
1800: 4
[?PILKINGTON, Mary].
THE CHILD OF HOPE; OR, INFIDELITY PUNISHED. A NOVEL. BY
A LADY. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Vernor and Hood, No. 31, Poultry,
by J. Cundee, Ivy-Lane, 1800.
I 226p; II 239p; III 239p. 12mo. 10s 6d (Bent03); 10s
6d sewed (CR).
CR 2nd ser. 31: 115-16 (Jan 1801); WSW I: 23-4.
Corvey; CME 3-628-47263-6; ESTC t212844.
Notes. List of 'Novels published
by T. [sic] Crosby' (2 pp. unn.) at end of vol.
1 of Corvey copy of Frederick Montravers (1803:
77) lists 'Child of Hope by Mrs Pilkington, 3 vols.,
10s 6d'. This could refer either to Mary Pilkington (1766-1839),
then mainly writing children's stories, or the shadowy
Miss Pilkington, who apparently operated as a Minerva
authoress between 1790 and 1802. Publication of the present
work, an epistolary novel, by Vernor and Hood would seem
to argue in favour of the former. See English Novel,
vol. 1, items 1797: 66, 1798: 56, 57; 1799: 73, 74, for
an uninterrupted succession of juvenile works acknowledged
by Mrs [Mary] Pilkington and with the imprint of Vernor
and Hood. The same publishers are also found in the case
of Pilkington's The Asiatic Princess (2 vols.,
1800), omitted from vol. 2 according to the tighter rules
for inclusion operating there for specialist fiction aimed
at children. This title is not listed in the titles of
subsequent adult works of fiction by Mary Pilkington,
however, and any attribution to her must be tentative.
1800: 14
[VENTUM, Harriet].
SELINA, A NOVEL, FOUNDED ON FACTS. BY A LADY. IN THREE
VOLUMES.
London: Printed for C. Law, Avemaria-Lane, by Bye and
Law, St. John's-Square, Clerkenwell, 1800.
I viii, 239p; II 268p; III 254p. 12mo. 10s 6d (Bent03);
10s 6d sewed (CR, MR).
CR 2nd ser. 30: 230 (Oct 1800); MR n.s. 32: 93 (May 1800);
WSW I: 109.
Corvey; CME 3-628-48643-2; EM 131: 3; ESTC t066392 (BI
BL; NA IU).
Notes.
Preface describes its author as 'a new writer' about to
'enter the lists of public applause in a species of composition,
wherein few, among a host of competitors, have been successful'
(p. [v]). For the attribution to Harriet Ventum, see Justina;
or, the History of a Young Lady (1801: 66), which
states on its title-page 'by Harriet Ventum, author of
Selina &c. &c.'. It is possibly a misreading of
this which has led to the wrong attribution of Selima,
or the Village Tale to Ventum: see ESTC and English
Novel, vol. 1, 1794: 40, for the correct attribution
to Margaret Holford, the elder. Excluding the falsely
attributed Selima, apart from this work the earliest
recorded publications of Ventum are Justina and
The Amiable Tutoress, or, the History of Mary and Jane
Hornsby (1801). Most of her following works were for
children, though one exception is The Dangers of Infidelity;
a Novel (see 1812: 62). Tyrrell Catalogue significantly
lists Dangers of Infidelity as 'by the Author of
"Selina .
1800: 47
?L[UCAS], C[harles].
THE FAUX PAS, OR FATAL ATTACHMENT. A NOVEL. IN TWO VOLUMES.
BY C. L.
London: Printed for the Author, at the Minerva-Press,
by William Lane, Leadenhall Street, 1800.
I 272p; II 267p. 12mo. 7s (Bent03).
CtY-BR In.F275.800; xESTC.
Notes.
The initials 'C. L.' also appear as the signature to the
Introduction to The Castle of Saint Donats (see
English Novel, vol. 1, 1798: 44), which is generally
attributed to Charles Lucas, and is likewise a Minerva
imprint. Lucas's first fully acknowledged fiction, The
Infernal Quixote (1801: 45), another Minerva production,
describes him on its title-page as 'Author of the Castle
of St. Donats, &c.'. For another previously unidentified
work possibly by Lucas, see also The Strolling Player
(1802: 13), below.
1801: 4
[BULLOCK, Mrs].
DOROTHEA, OR A RAY OF THE NEW LIGHT. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for G. G. and J. Robinson, Paternoster-Row;
by R. Noble, in the Old Bailey, 1801.
I 204p; II 183p; III 161p. 12mo. 10s 6d sewed (CR, MR);
10s 6d (ECB).
CR 2nd ser. 34: 238 (Feb 1802); MR n.s. 37: 425 (Apr 1802).
Corvey; ECB 169; NSTC D1596 (BI O).
Notes.
Listed in Newman Catalogue of 1814 under 'Bullock's (Mrs.)',
together with Susanna; or, Traits of a Modern Miss,
this providing the source for the attribution of the latter
to Mrs Bullock in Blakey (p. 173). English Novel,
vol. 1, also gives Mrs Bullock as the author of Susanna
(see 1795: 15). In terms of equivalence, there appears
to be a case for a similar attribution of this previously
unidentified novel.
Further edn: Dublin 1801 (BL C.193.a.43).
1802: 13
[?LUCAS, Mr].
THE STROLLING PLAYER; OR, LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF WILLIAM
TEMPLETON. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed by B. M'Millan, Bow-Street, Covent-Garden;
sold by H. D. Symonds, Paternoster-Row, 1802.
I 293p; II 262p; III 294p. 12mo. 12s boards (MR); 12s
(ECB).
MR n.s. 40: 208 (Feb 1803); WSW I: 116.
Corvey; CME 3-628-48680-7; ECB 566; NSTC T476 (BI BL).
Notes. BLC and NUC both list under Templeton, William,
but text indicates that this name is part of the fiction.
A fairly confident attribution is
nevertheless found in The Flowers of Literature for
1803, a critical journal published by B. Crosby &
Co. According to its Introduction: 'The author of the
Strolling Player, we understand Mr. LUCAS, a young
writer of good talents and virtuous intentions, has painted
human nature, in most instances, admirably correct; but
sometimes injudiciously, in those situations and scenes
in which she ought to be screened from the public eye.
From such a writer, however, we have, in his future productions,
every thing to expect; and we consider the above-mentioned
novel as the first emanation of extraordinary talents'
(p. xlviii). Noticeably in the short Notice (p. 461) in
the main part of the journal, the publisher is given as
Crosby himself, though no copy with such an imprint has
been discovered. The same attribution to 'Mr Lucas' is
also found in an advert by Crosby in the Dorchester
and Sherborne Journal on 26 Aug 1803. However, Crosby's
list of 'Novels' (2 pp. unn.) at end of vol. 1 of the
Corvey copy of Frederick Montravers (1803: 77)
lists 'Strolling Player, by Mr White, 3 vols., 10s 6d'.
Even if Mr Lucas is accepted as the more confident attribution,
there must be considerable uncertainty about his identity.
Charles Lucas, while a not unlikely author for a masculinist
picaresque novel such as this, had already published under
his own name with The Infernal Quixote (1801:
45); while little is known about William Lucas, author
of the didactic The Duellists (1805: 51).
1802: 14
[EARLE, William (jun.)].
WELSH LEGENDS: A COLLECTION OF POPULAR ORAL TALES.
London: Printed by J. D. Dewick, Aldersgate-Street, for
J. Badcock, Paternoster-Row, 1802.
vi, 280p, ill. 12mo.
MR n.s. 40: 109 (Jan 1803); WSW I: 129.
Corvey; CME 3-628-51169-0; ECB 176; NSTC W1193 (BI BL).
Notes: Frontispiece carries the legend: 'Publish'd
as the Act directs Nov. 1 1801 by Earle and Hemet, Albemarle
Street Piccadilly.' 5 legends included, the 2nd of which
is in verse. ECB dates 1801, and gives Earle as publisher,
as well as attributing to William
Earle as author. Re-examination of the series of appeals
by William Earle jun. to the Royal Literary Society (RLF
20: 654) written 1829-31 now makes it clear that he was
almost certainly the author of these tales, which may
well have been published earlier singly. In a letter of
6 May 1829, from the Fleet Prison, he describes himself
as 'son of Mr. William Earle formerly the Bookseller in
Albemarle Street', and continues: 'I am the author of
several novels and Legendary Tales published at a very
early age and successful in their day particularly the
"Welchman" a novel in Four Volumes and "Obi or Three Fingered
Jack" in one volume long since out of print and a collection
of "Welch Legendary Tales".' In another appeal, dated
23 Aug 1830, he writes: 'In that same year [1799] I wrote
a most successful little work which was published in numbers
by John Badcock of Paternoster Row, Earle & Hemet
Albemarle Street and Cobbett and Morgan Booksellers of
Pall Mall entitled "Welch Legends".' In this, as in other
more immediately verifiable instances, Earle's recall
seems to be sharp and precise, and there can be little
reason now to doubt his claim to authorship. Collates
in sixes. MR also gives 10s 6d for 8vo, but not discovered
in this form. [Thanks are due to
Andrew Davies for researching the William Earle jun. correspondence
in the Royal Literary Fund Archives (microfilm set).]
1808: 18
[?SMITH, Orton].
SKETCHES OF CHARACTER, OR SPECIMENS OF REAL LIFE. A NOVEL,
IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster-Row;
B. Crosby, Stationer's-Court: and J. Lansdown, Bristol,
by Mills & Co. St. Augustine's-Back, Bristol, 1808.
I x, 282p; II 308p; III 392p. 12mo. 15s (ECB).
CR 3rd ser. 15: 88-92 (Sept 1808) full review; WSW I:
112.
PU PR.3991.A1.S54.1808; ECB 541; NSTC S2186 (BI BL).
Notes. MS note on fly-leaf in ViU copy (PZ2.S556.1808)
reads, in contemporary hand, 'By Richard Brinsley Sheridan,
author of Critic'; this copy has the Preface mistakenly
bound near end of last vol. NUC entry states 'also attributed
to Amelia Opie'. Yet an alternative possible authorship,
hitherto unrecorded, is discoverable in the Longman Letter
Books, in a letter to Orton Smith, dated 4 Feb 1814, which
states 'The Sketches of Character is selling very well
with us' (I, 98, no. 131). The same letter also asks the
recipient (who might conceivably have been an agent rather
than author) to enquire after 'a MS entitled "Penrose",
which was in the possession of the late Mr Eagles of
Bristol', and which the firm had earlier rejected-this
suggesting that Smith had connections with Bristol (see
also 1815: 54, Section E, below). It is worth noting too,
perhaps, the similarity of the imprint of
the first edition above to those found in a sequence
of novels attributable to the Revd Mr Wyndham (see e.g.
1805: 72). See also 1815: 12, below.
Further edns: 2nd edn. 1813 (Corvey), CME 3-628-48753-6
[with Longmans alone on imprint];
3rd edn. 1815 (NSTC).
1809: 24
[LIPSCOMB, George].
MODERN TIMES; OR, ANECDOTES OF THE ENGLISH FAMILY. IN
THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for J. Budd, Bookseller to his Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales, at the Crown and Mitre, Pall-Mall;
and Sharpe and Hailes, No. 186, Piccadilly, 1809.
I xxiv, 264p; II 230p; III 261p. 12mo. 15s (ECB, ER).
ER 15: 529 (Jan 1810); WSW I: 78.
Corvey; CME 3-628-48219-4; ECB 390; NSTC M2772 (BI O).
Notes. Preface dated Buen-Retiro, Sept 1809. Originally
attributed to 'John English' on the basis of title-page
information in The Grey Friar, and the Black Spirit
of the Wye (1810: 42) and Castlethorpe Lodge; or,
the Capricious Mother (1816: 27). This name, however,
now turns out almost certainly to have been the pseudonym
of Dr George Lipscomb, MD (1773-1846), author of The
History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham
(1847). DNB gives these three novels (the last as 'The
Capricious Mother') at the tail end of a long list of
Lipscomb's topographical and medical writings. Thanks
are due to Roger Bettridge, Buckinghamshire County Record
Office, for drawing attention to this connection with
Lipscomb.
Further edn: 1810 (NUC).
1810: 42
[LIPSCOMB, George].
THE GREY FRIAR, AND THE BLACK SPIRIT OF THE WYE: A ROMANCE.
IN TWO VOLUMES. BY JOHN ENGLISH, ESQ. OF BLACKWOOD HALL.
London: Printed at the Minerva-Press, for A. K. Newman
and Co. (Successors to Lane, Newman, and Co.) Leadenhall-Street,
1810.
I 276p; II 299p. 12mo. 10s (ECB, QR).
QR 3: 268 (Feb 1810).
Corvey; CME 3-628-47568-6; ECB 188; NSTC E1008 (BI O).
Notes.
For the attribution to Lipscomb rather than, as previously,
John English (actually a pseudonym), see notes to the
same author's Modern Times (1809: 24), above.
1813: 6
[HUGHES, Mrs. ?Harriet].
SHE THINKS FOR HERSELF. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown,
Paternoster-Row, 1813.
I 263p; II 261p; III 345p. 12mo. 16s 6d (ECB, ER).
ER 21: 258 (Feb 1813); WSW I: 110-11.
Corvey; CME 3-628-48650-5; ECB 532; NSTC S1607 (BI BL).
Notes. Two letters in the
Longman Letter Books addressed to Mrs Hughes indicate
strongly that she is the author. The first, dated 18 Nov
1812, states that the publisher's reader 'has given so
favorable a report of your MS, that we are induced to
undertake the publication'. The same letter offers settlement
on a half profits basis, adding 'If this plan be agreeable
to you we will put the work to press immediately &
print 500 or 750 copies'. It also advises 'the omission
of the Introductory Chapter', and 'that the title be "She
thinks for herself" simply with the motto' (I, 97, no.
377). The second, dated 26 Nov 1812, makes the concession
that the author should receive twenty rather than the
usual dozen copies, while supplying further details about
costs, and concludes 'The work may be finished we believe
before the end of the Year' (I, 97, no. 381). Notwithstanding
Longmans' advice in their first letter, the novel as published
opens with an 'Introductory Chapter'. In this the author
describes herself as plain, bookish, an 'old maid', and
alone: 'At the age of forty, having lost my remaining
parent, I retired to the village of Heathdale, on the
western side of Sussex, where I now reside' (pp. 3-4).
The title-page, on the other hand, matches Longmans' recommendation.
This Mrs Hughes is given as Mrs Harriet Hughes in the
typed index to the Letter Books prepared by Michael Bott.
ECB dates Feb 1812.
1815: 12
[?SMITH, Orton].
VARIETIES OF LIFE; OR, CONDUCT AND CONSEQUENCES. A NOVEL.
IN THREE VOLUMES. BY THE AUTHOR OF "SKETCHES OF CHARACTER."
London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown,
Paternoster Row, 1815.
I 346p; II 270p; III 295p. 12mo. 18s (ECB, ER, QR).
ER 25: 278 (June 1815); QR 13: 531 (July 1815), 14: 554
(Jan 1816); WSW I: 125-6.
Corvey; CME 3-628-48860-5; ECB 610; NSTC V132 (BI BL,
C).
Notes. The attribution is
encouraged by a letter from the publishers, addressed
to Orton Smith Esq, dated 9 Apr 1821: 'As we have now
little or no demand for Varieties of Life, we beg leave
to inform you that it is our intention to include the
remaining copies in a sale which we shall make to the
trade in a few days; to which we conclude you can have
no objection' (Longman Letter Books, I, 101, no. 132).
See also additional note to 1808: 18, above.
Further edn: Philadelphia 1816 (NSTC).
1816: 27
[LIPSCOMB, George].
*CASTLETHORPE LODGE; OR, THE CAPRICIOUS MOTHER. INCLUDING
THE CURIOUS ADVENTURES OF ANDREW GLASMORE, A NOVEL, IN
THREE VOLUMES. BY THE AUTHOR OF "MODERN TIMES, OR ANECDOTES
OF AN ENGLISH FAMILY;" - "THE GREY FRIAR, AND THE BLACK
SPIRIT OF THE WYE," &C. SECOND EDITION.
London: Printed and published by Allen and Co. No. 15,
Paternoster-Row, 1816.
I 237p; II 216p; III 208p. 12mo.
Corvey; CME 3-628-47237-7; xNSTC.
Notes. For the attribution
to Lipscomb rather than, as previously, John English (actually
a pseudonym), see new notes to Modern Times (1809:
24), above. Drop-head title reads: 'The Capricious
Mother'. A novel titled The Capricious Mother; or Accidents
and Chances, 3 vols., 15s, is listed in ER July 1812
and QR Mar 1812; and this probably
represents the 1st edn. of this work, though no copy with
this title has been located. Listed
in Tyrrell Catalogue as 'Capricious Mother; or Accidents
and Chances'.
1821: 13
[STEWART, Miss ?Jessie or Janet]
ST. AUBIN; OR, THE INFIDEL. IN TWO VOLUMES.
Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, High-Street; sold also by
G. & W. B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria-Lane, London; and
W. Turnbull, Glasgow, 1821.
I 316p; II 348p. 12mo. 12s (ECB); 14s boards (ER); 12s
boards (ER, QR).
ER 35: 266 (Mar 1821), 35: 525 (July 1821); QR 25: 276
(Apr 1821); WSW II: 32.
Corvey; CME 3-628-48593-2; ECB 511; NSTC 2S1527 (BI BL,
NCu).
Notes. Copyright Ledger 1,
1818-1826, in the Oliver and Boyd papers (NLS Accession
5000, Item 1) includes an entry for this novel on pp.
129-30 which credits payment to Miss Stewart. A letter
from Miss Stewart among unsorted papers of the same firm
in Accession 5000/191, dated 11 Nov 1824 and written from
'Water of Leith', also enquires as to the success of the
work. A letter from James Hogg to 'Miss J. Stuart' of
10 Oct [1808?] is addressed to her at 'Water of Leith',
this apparently connecting the author of St Aubin
with the Jessie Stewart who in 1804 published Ode to
Dr. Thomas Percy, Lord Bishop of Dromore, Occasioned by
reading the Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, and
who later contributed to Hogg's periodical The Spy
(1810)-see 'Notes on Contributors' under 'Janet Stuart',
in The Spy, ed. Gillian Hughes (Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press, 2000), p. 569. The above information
has been generously contributed by Dr Hughes. ER
gives price as 14s boards in Mar 1821, and as 12s boards
in July 1821.
Further edn: 2nd edn. 1824 (NUC).
1827: 60
[CHETWODE, Miss ?Anne].
BLUE-STOCKING HALL. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Henry Colburn, New Burlington Street, 1827.
I iv, 320p; II 328p; III 258p. 12mo. 27s (ECB); 27s boards
(ER).
ER 46: 534 (Oct 1827).
Corvey; CME 3-628-47264-4; ECB 63; NSTC 2S6000 (BI BL,
C, Dt, O).
Notes. Identified as by Miss
Chetwode, rather than by William Pitt Scargill, in Rolf
Loeber and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber, 18th-19th Century
Irish Fiction Newsletter, January 1998, No. 1. As
stated there, Miss Chetwode was the daughter of the Revd
John Chetwode of Glanmire (Co. Cork) and the novel is
mostly set in Co. Kerry. For a similar reattribution,
see 1829: 74, below.
Further edns: 2nd edn. 1829 (NSTC); New York 1828
(NSTC).
1829: 52
[ROBERTON, Mrs].
FLORENCE: OR THE ASPIRANT. A NOVEL, IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Whittaker, Treacher, and Co. Ave Maria Lane, 1829.
I 296p; II 293p; III 311p. 8vo. 24s (ECB, QR); 24s boards
(ER).
ER 49: 529 (June 1829); QR 41: 287 (July 1829).
Corvey; CME 3-628-47797-2; ECB 209; NSTC 2K3090 (BI BL,
C, E, O; NA DLC, MH).
Notes. Dedication to the King. NSTC
2R12236 attributes to 'Mrs Roberton', while Wolff (Item
5918) lists under 'Robertson, Mrs.'. Towards the end of
the novel, Admiral Stanhope, a fierce Protestant, selects
'an arm-full of books and threw them on to the fire' (III,
310). The heroine Florence, however, has the last word:
' "I shall imagine that the lives of the saints and
of martyrs, and the works of highly-talented men, are
sending forth a flame as pure as the religion which they
professed, and to which they did such honour. But stay-I
see a volume which is not worthy to mingle its flames
or its ashes with those of such precious matter," and
stepping forward she withdrew from the heap "Father Clement." '
(III, 311). The work is strongly
in favour of Catholic Emancipation, featuring Scottish
characters and setting, and narrated in a highly polemical
tone. Grace Kennedy's death in 1825 and the presence here
of a publisher not used for any of Kennedy's others novels
argues strongly in favour of this different authorship.
1829: 74
[CHETWODE, Miss ?Anne].
TALES OF MY TIME. BY THE AUTHOR OF BLUE-STOCKING HALL.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, New Burlington
Street, 1829.
I 297p; II 311p; III 351p. 12mo. 28s 6d (ECB); 28s 6d
boards (ER).
ER 50: 284 (Oct 1829); QR 41: 557 (Nov 1829).
Corvey; CME 3-628-48871-0; ECB 575; NSTC 2S6011 (BI BL,
C, Dt, E, O; NA DLC).
Notes. I Who Is She?; II Who Is She?; The Young
Reformers; III The Young Reformers. Identifiable
as by Miss Chetwode, rather than by William Pitt Scargill,
as a consequence of the identification of 1827: 60 to
Chetwode in Rolf Loeber and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber, 18th-19th
Century Irish Fiction Newsletter, January 1998, No. 1.
'The Young Reformers' is set initially in Ireland,
and its main character, Albert Fitzmaurice, a Church of
Ireland minister, as a young man is introduced to the
United Irishmen [from plot summary communicated by Rolf
Loeber and Magda Stouthamer-Loeber].
B: New Information Relating
to Authorship, but not Leading to Attribution Changes
I801: 10 ANON, MYSTERIOUS FRIENDSHIP:
A TALE. Newman Catalogue of 1814 attributes to 'Miss
/ Mrs. Helme'. It is noticeable that Elizabeth Helme's
St. Margaret's Cave (1801: 32), where she appears
as a named author, was similarly published by Earle and
Hemet; but, apart from this, there seems to be little
else to connect the two works.
1804: 8 ANON, THE REFORMED REPROBATE.
A NOVEL. Newman Catalogue of 1814 attributes to 'Kotzebue';
but see existing Notes to entry for greater likelihood
of a connection with August Lafontaine. J. F. Hughes,
the co-publisher, was quite capable of encouraging false
attributions to high-profile authors, such as August von
Kotzebue.
1805: 72 [?WYNDHAM, Revd.], MEN
AND WOMEN, A NOVEL [.] BY THE AUTHOR OF "WHAT YOU WILL",
"TOURVILLE", &C." For a possible alternative to Wyndham
as the author of this novel, and others apparently in
the same chain (e.g. 1800: 79, 1804: 73), see additional
note to 1808: 18, Section A, above.
1806: 12 ANON, THE LAST MAN,
OR OMEGARUS AND SYDERIA, A ROMANCE IN FUTURITY. Newman
Catalogue of 1814 states 'from the French of Volney'.
No clear connection has been discovered, however, with
Count Constantin François de Volney (1757-1820). In the
fiction itself, the narrator, as a traveller in Syria,
experiences apocalyptic visions near Palymira, and records
the stories of the last couple on earth. The narrative
ends with an address from 'the Spirit of Futurity': '
[.] I consign to thee the revelation of the last age of
the earth' (II, 204). Possibly this represents a fictional
take on de Volney's most celebrated work, Les Ruines,
ou Méditation sur les révolutions des empires (1791).
1806: 16 ANON, TWO GIRLS OF EIGHTEEN.
[.] BY AN OLD MAN. Newman Catalogue of 1814 (in addition
to ECB and NCBEL) attributes to George Walker, the author
and publisher. However, there are distinct differences
between this anonymous and now rare title, in terms of
its production history, and surrounding novels by Walker,
which usually were acknowledged, listed other works by
the author in the title, and entered into subsequent editions.
It may or may not be significant that vol. 2 of the Corvey
copy contains at the end a 1-page advertisement list of
'Books Published and Sold by G. Walker', which begins
with four novels by Walker himself, all plainly accredited
there as his. The novel itself is a fairly confident direct
narrative account of trials and tribulations in contemporary
middle-rank society, and has a slightly ogling manner
in describing its young heroines. The persona of the 'old
man' ('I am too old to write for fame, and too indolent
to write for profit': I, 8) is only occasionally obtrusive,
and in literal terms does not match the circumstances
of Walker, then in his early thirties.
1807: 5 ANON, THEODORE; OR, THE
ENTHUSIAST. Newman Catalogue of 1814 states 'from the
German of La Fontaine'. A possible clue to a German origin
might lie in the Dedication 'to Her Serene Highness the
Reigning Duchess of Saxe-Weimar'; but no direct evidence
connecting this work with August Lafontaine has been discovered.
The plot is distinct from that of Lobenstein Village
(1804: 34), translated 'from the French [sic] of
Augustus La Fontaine' by Mary Meeke, this presumably stemming
from Le Village de Lobenstein (Paris 1802), which
itself in its larger title wording claims to be based
on the 'roman allemand [.] intitulé Théodor', the
root German text in the English Novel being given
as Lafontaine's Theodor, oder Kultur und Huminität
(Berlin, 1802). The plot proper of Theodore; or, The
Enthusiast begins at Ch. II: 'In a village in Swabia,
not far from the banks of the Danube, there lived an honest
and respectable family of the name of Rosenthal [.] The
youngest son was Theodore'. The main parts have the all
the marks of a standard bildungsroman, with Theodore having
fantasies about being a soldier, visiting a Monastery,
etc., and with a number of conversations involving marked
speakers ('Fr Anthony' / Rosenthal / Theodore). Its denouement
has Theodore revealed as brother of Theresa; and ends
with him lying cold on Leonora's grave. Another Theodore
is the hero of Lobenstein Village, but the
story has no similarities with Theodore; or, the Enthusiast
as described above. This Theodore is abandoned at the
doorstep of the philosopher Lindner and his sister Sabina,
who decide to adopt him. The village gossips do not believe
the story, and rumour that Theodore is the illegitimate
child of Sabina (who has recently been ill) and Lindner's
friend Senk. This precipitates Senk, who loves Sabina,
to propose to her to protect her virtue, and she accepts-after
accepting his motives were amorous, not simply exigent.
The rumours die eventually, as Lindner brings up Theodore.
In the second part of the story, the adult Theodore falls
in love with Eloisa, but because of the mysterious circumstances
surrounding his birth, Eloisa's mother blocks their union.
It transpires that his parents were aristocrats from warring
sides, and that Eloisa is Theodore's cousin. Even when
his grandfather accepts him, the snobbish Baroness refuses
to accept the truth, until a written confession by his
mother and an in-person one by his father explaining the
circumstances which led them to such extreme measures
makes everything satisfactory. The Baroness repents. Theodore
and Eloisa marry, and enjoy the benefits of having two
fathers in life. Ultimately, this novel is more of a comedy
which unravels the mysteries of Theodore's birth, than
a tragic bildungsroman. It is entirely possible that Theodore;
or, the Enthusiast is German in origin, but it is
distinct from Lobenstein Village apart from having
a similarly named hero, and it would seem that this later
work is probably not by August Lafontaine. It is not listed
as an English translation of Lafontaine in Dirk Sangmeister,
Bibliographie August Lafontaine (Bielefeld: Aisthesis
Verlag, 1996).
1808: 91 RATCLIFFE, Eliza, THE
MYSTERIOUS BARON, OR THE CASTLE IN THE FOREST, A GOTHIC
STORY. In view of the surrounding circumstances, there
is a strong chance that the name is actually pseudonymous.
For a possible clue regarding the true authorship of this
tale, see next item.
1809: 61 ?RADCLIFFE, Mary Anne
or [?KER, Louisa Theresa Bellenden], MANFRONÉ; OR, THE
ONE-HANDED MONK. A ROMANCE [.] BY MARY ANNE RADCLIFFE.
The Corvey copy of the 2nd edn. (1819) has on its title-page
'by Mary Anne Radcliffe, Author of The Mysterious Baron,
&c, &c.'. This would appear to refer to The
Mysterious Baron, or the Castle in the Forest (1809:
91), whose author is given as 'Eliza Ratcliffe' on its
title-page. Both authorial names have a spurious feel
to them, but behind might lie a common author. A report
on the tangled issue of the authorship of Manfroné
is currently being prepared.
1812: 17 ANON, *WILLIAM AND AZUBAH;
OR, THE ALPINE RECESS, A NOVEL. Newman Catalogue of 1814
attributes to A. J. Montrion. But no such author has been
discovered.
1813: 14 COXE, Eliza A., LIBERALITY
AND PREJUDICE, A TALE. A subscription novel published
by B. & R. Crosby & Co., and the only work normally
accredited to the author. But did she possibly follow
on from this very competent performance with other (anonymous)
publications? A letter in the Longmans Letter Books to
'Miss Cox', dated 9 Apr 1821, is tempting in this respect:
'As we have now little or no demand for two or three of
your novels, it is our intention to dispose of the remainder
in a sale which we shall be making to the trade which
will enable us to settle the account with you' (I, 101,
no. 112). Of course, this might relate to yet another
author, whose identity is otherwise unknown. One wonders,
for example, about the origin of Domestic Scenes
(1820: 38), a standard Longmans publication, 'By Lady
Humdrum, Author of more Works than bear her Name'.
1817: 13 [?BELL, Nugent], ALEXENA;
OR, THE CASTLE OF SANTA MARCO, A ROMANCE, IN THREE VOLUMES.
EMBELLISHED WITH ENGRAVINGS. The author is identified
as Nugent Bell on the title-page of the second volume
of the National Library of Ireland copy of Alexena
[detail initially communicated by Rolf Loeber]. This copy
(press mark J823), as re-examined by Jacqueline Belanger,
has 'By Nugent Bell, Esq.' in vol. 2 only, immediately
after the title, with 'Embellished with engravings' being
demoted to after the epigraph: each volume also carries
the imprint of A. K. Newman at the Minerva Press, and
not that of Brett Smith, Dublin (as found in the last
two volumes of the of the University of Virginia copy
used for the English Novel entry). It is possible
that the name of Nugent Bell also appears in the Virginia
copy, but, if so, this was not recorded at the time of
inspection. It definitely does not occur in the title
of vol. 2 of the copy held by the University of Illinois
at Urbana. The surname Nugent, which echoes the Jacobite
song 'Grace Nugent' and was also that of a prominent Irish
Catholic family, reinforces other indications of an Irish
provenance for this work.
1819: 13 ANON, THE METROPOLIS.
A NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF LITTLE HYDROGEN, OR THE DEVIL
ON TWO STICKS IN LONDON. NUC entry describing copy in
Brown University wrongly attributes to Andrew Carmichael,
the author of The Metropolis (1805), a satire in
verse on Dublin. This error is reflected in OCLC World
Cat (Accession No. 23271029).
1819: 67 [?TAYLOR, Jane], THE
AUTHORESS. A TALE. Attributed in the Tyrrell Catalogue
to 'Miss Taylor', this offers an element of contemporary
support for the tentative attribution in the English
Novel of this and allied titles to Jane Taylor.
1822: 9 ANON, NO ENTHUSIASM;
A TALE FOR THE PRESENT TIMES. Bettison Catalogue states
'by the Author of Happiness'. This indicates the same
author wrote Happiness; A Tale, for the Grave and Gay
(1821: 6), whose main publisher was also Francis Westley.
1822: 13 ANON, THE VILLAGE COQUETTE;
A NOVEL. [.] BY THE AUTHOR OF "SUCH IS THE WORLD." Bettison
Catalogue attributes 'Village Coquet, a Novel' to 'Mrs.
Macnally'. If the attribution is correct this would also
affect Such is the World (1821: 15), as well as
offering a potential link with Eccentricity: A Novel
(1820: 50), where 'Mrs Mac Nally' is acknowledged as author
on the title and whose 'Advertisement' is signed 'Louisa
Mac Nally'. But whereas Eccentricity is a co-publication
of J. Cumming in Dublin and Longmans, the two other novels
were published by G. and W. B. Whittaker alone. The signature
'F. J.' dated at Kensington in the Preface to The Village
Coquette is also hard to square with authorship by
Mac Nally, and noticeably in the same Preface the author
refers to Such is the World as 'my first novel'
(p. vi). In her own 'Advertisement' to Eccentricity,
moreover, Mac Nally, in complaining about the association
of her name with 'an anonymous Publication, not of very
recent date', promises 'to annex my name (as to the present)
to any future Composition which I may be inclined to present
to the public'. In all, there appears to be no good reason
to link Mrs Mac Nally's acknowledged novel with the two
later works; though on a broader front, the possibility
of there being two 'Village Coquettes', or even two Mrs
Macnallys, should perhaps not be overlooked. Stephen J.
Brown, Ireland in Fiction (1919; reprinted 1970),
lists The Pirate's Fort (1854) under Louisa M'Nally
(see his Item 1069), though as if by a separate writer
of the same name. OCLC WorldCat treats the authors of
Eccentricity and The Pirate's Fort as the
same.
1822: 80 [WHITE, Joseph Blanco],
VARGAS: A TALE OF SPAIN. The view that Joseph Blanco
White is the author of this novel is defended by Martin
Murphy, in 'The Spanish "Waverley": Blanco White and "Vargas ,
Atlantis: Revista de la Asociación Española de Estudios
Anglo-Norteamericanos, 17 (1995), 168-80.
1822: 81 [WILKINS, George, and
others?], BODY AND SOUL. Further evidence of an involvement
by the Revd Shepherd in this work have been found in the
Longman Letter Books. A letter to Revd G. Wilkins of 11
Aug 1823 begins: 'We are willing to publish the new edition
of Body & Soul on the terms which were suggested by
Mr. Orme to Mr. Shepherd & agreed to by your letter
of the 9th-namely to pay you down half the profits on
publication, by a note at 6 months' (I, 101, no. 396E).
Another letter, directly to the Revd. Mr Shepherd, dated
31 Jan 1824, offers to 'publish your "Liturgical Considerations"
on the same terms we did "Body & Soul ,
adding later: 'As to the statement of Acc[oun]t of the
final settlement of "Body & Soul", we must refer you
to Dr Wilkins, who was supplied with copies of all the
accounts, & with whom all settlements were made' (I,
101, no. 420). Mention of 'Liturgical Considerations'
in this second letter helps identify the addressee as
the Revd William Shepherd, Rector of Margaret Roding (Essex),
who published Liturgical Considerations; or an Apology
for the Daily Service of the Church, contained in the
Book of Common Prayer (1824). Of course, Shepherd's
interest in Body and Soul could have been other
than as co-author, though this role seems most likely,
especially in view of the use of the 'by one of the authors
of Body and Soul' as an authorial description in later
works (see also 1825: 88, below).
1823: 81 [WALKER, ...], RICH
AND POOR. James Hogg in his story 'Sound Morality' (1829)
implies female authorship with a confidence which might
indicate personal knowledge concerning this Edinburgh-published
work: 'there is another person whom we have long lost
sight of, like the greater part of our lady novelists,
who introduce characters for the mere purpose of showing
them off (vide The Laird o' Fife, Rich and Poor,
and a thousand others)': see Selected Stories and Sketches,
ed. by Douglas S. Mack (Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press,
1982), p. 128 This also encourages the view that the
author was a Mrs Walker.
1825: 88 [?WILKINS, George or
?SHEPHERD, Revd], THE VILLAGE PASTOR. BY ONE OF THE AUTHORS
OF BODY AND SOUL. See 1822: 81, above, for the identification
of the Revd Shepherd as William Shepherd, Rector of Margaret
Roding (Essex). Re-examination of the correspondence in
the Longman Letter Books indicates that early in 1825
the firm was dealing with Wilkins about the second
edition of the Two Rectors (1824: 97) at much the
same time as apparently offering terms to Shepherd for
The Village Pastor. The full text of the key letter
to the Revd Mr Shepherd on 17 Feb 1825 reads: 'We have
received a letter from Dr Wilkins, in which he consents
to the insertion of "by one of the authors of Body &
Soul" in the title of the "Village Pastor". // The expense
of advertising such small volumes being so great a proportion
to the other expences, the utmost terms we can propose
you are, for an edition of 1250 copies, £50 immediately,
& should the edition be sold off within twelve months
after the publication £20 more' (Longman I, 101, no. 495A).
Another letter, this time to the Revd Dr Wilkins, dated
21 Feb 1825, indicates that Wilkins was threatening a
change of publisher: 'We thank you kindly for your very
friendly letter; and we certainly should feel concerned
to see your works published by another house. Before therefore
we deliver your letter to Messrs Rivington, we beg leave
to propose terms, which we hope will be satisfactory to
you, for an edition of 1500 copies (the number we would
advise to be printed) viz-on publication of the edition,
we will [.] without your having to wait the event of the
sale pay you in cash half the balance of probable profits.'
(I, 101, 494B). A postscript to this letter, adding 'We
have arranged with Mr Shepherd respecting the publication
of his works', also encourages the view that parallel
negotiations were taking place for separate works by these
two Anglican clergyman. If this interpretation is followed,
then it can be seen that Wilkins himself also adopted
the wording 'by one of the authors of Body and Soul'
for the second edition of The Two Rectors (see
1824: 97), an intention relayed in a postscript of Longmans'
letter to Shepherd of 17 Feb 1825: 'Dr W. in the next
edition of "The Two Rectors" intends to say "by one of
the authors of B & S & the V. P.' While some problematical
elements remain, it now seems more likely that William
Shepherd, in addition to playing a part in the writing
of Body and Soul, was the single author of The
Village Pastor.
1826: 47 [HUDSON, Marianne Spencer],
ALMACK'S A NOVEL. A different authorship is suggested
by a letter of Maria Edgeworth to Miss Ruxton, 8 Apr 1827:
'I know who wrote Almack's. Lady de Ros tells me
it is by Mrs Purvis, sister to Lady Blessington; this
accounts for both the knowledge of high, and habits of
low, life which appear in the book' (Life and Letters
of Maria Edgeworth, ed. Augustus J. C. Hare, 2 vols.
(London, 1894), II, 150. In this case, however, gossip
would appear to have been misleading. (The accepted author's
married name was Mrs Robert Hudson.)
1826: 68 [?SCARGILL, William
Pitt], TRUTH. A NOVEL BY THE AUTHOR OF NOTHING. As noted
in the English Novel, NCBEL states not by Scargill,
which in turn helped encourage there a questioning of
his authorship of two others in an apparent chain, ELZABETH
EVANSHAW, THE SEQUEL OF TRUTH (1827: 61) and PENELOPE;
OR, LOVE'S LABOURS LOST (1828: 70). The 'Advertisement'
to Elizabeth Evanshaw, however, leaves little doubt
that it is by the author of Truth, and also discusses
religious issues in a way which might encourage one to
associate both novels with Scargill, an Unitarian minister
who later became an adherent of the established church.
The attribution by Rolf Loeber and
Magda Stouthamer-Loeber of Blue-Stocking Hall
(1827: 60) and Tales of My Time (1829: 74) to Miss
Chetwode, rather than to Scargill, now raises the possibilty
of whether the above three novels actually represent Scargill's
true output at this time. If so, the issue remains of
their relationship to Truckleborough Hall (1827:
62), Rank and Talent (1829: 72), and Tales of
a Briefless Barrister (1829: 73), conventionally attributed
to Scargill, and all upmarket novels published by Henry
Colburn.
1827: 51 [?MAGINN, William],
THE MILITARY SKETCH-BOOK. REMINISCENCES OF SEVENTEEN YEARS
IN THE SERVICE ABROAD AND AT HOME. BY AN OFFICER OF THE
LINE. The same authorial description, 'an officer of
the Line', appears in the title of Sketches, Scenes
and Narratives. Chiefly of a Religious Tendency (Dublin,
1828), which as a didactic (evangelical) and partly miscellaneous
work was not included in the English Novel. A number
of the narratives in Sketches, Scenes and Narratives
have an Irish setting and/or Irish soldiers as characters,
and an authorship by an Irish officer who has served in
the Peninsular War is strongly implied. This would seem
to make Maginn's authorship of The Military Sketch-Book
and of Tales of Military Life (1829: 58) even more
unlikely, as well as pointing to a separate and common
source for the three works mentioned here. It should also
be noted, in passing, that the 1849/51 Tales of Military
Life, listed as a further edition under 1829: 58,
actually represents yet another work (as Wolff, the cited
source, make clear in his Item 7575).
1828: 6 ANON, THE LAIRDS OF FIFE.
Another Edinburgh novel for which James Hogg strongly
implies female authorship. See commentary on Rich and
Poor (1823: 81, above).
1828: 13 ANON, THE CAPTAIN'S
LOG BOOK: INCLUDING ANECDOTES OF WELL KNOWN MILITARY CHARACTERS.
Tyrrell Catalogue gives the author as Capt. Frizelle;
but no author of this name has been discovered.
1829: 17 BEDINGFIELD, Mrs [Mary]
Bryan, LONGHOLLOW: A COUNTRY TALE. This author published
a volume of poetry as Mrs Bryan, and there are entries
for her as such in Virginia Blain et al., Feminist
Companion to Literature in English (1990),
and in J. R. de J. Jackson, Romantic Poetry by Women
(1993), though neither say that she later published a
novel. Of her life, and relationship with Walter Scott,
Dr Sharon Ragaz, University of Toronto, has communicated
the following. 'Mary Bryan first wrote to Scott on 10
June 1818 (NLS, MS 3889, ff. 115-17), saying that she
would soon be sending him a parcel. She also enclosed
an extract of a favourable notice in the Critical Review
of her Sonnets and Metrical Tales (Bristol: City
Printing-Office, 1815). The parcel, containing a printed
volume-probably the book of verse-and a manuscript, she
sent on 27 June, with a letter identifying herself as
the widow of a Bristol printer, mother of six children,
and debt-encumbered. There are eight letters from her
in the Walpole Collection of letters to Scott: the final
one is dated 25 Sept 1827 (NLS, MS 3905, ff. 7-10). About
1819 she married James Bedingfield (a physician or surgeon-her
late husband's doctor and the dedicatee of the 1815 book)
and moved to Stowmarket. Her letters to Scott concern
her various literary attempts; she sent him various MSS
which he apparently responded to with suggestions (though
none of his letters to her have been found). Scott evidently
advised her to write a domestic tale, and the final letter
describes how she eventually did so. She asks if she can
send the MS for his perusal, and states that in writing
it she 'resolved to keep in mind a few general instructions
you were then so good as to suggest for that purpose'.
This must have been Longhollow. The Preface to
Longhollow includes mention of the Waverley novels
that echoes comments she makes in a letter of 22 July
1818 (NLS, MS 3889, ff. 155-57). A copy of Longhollow
is at Abbotsford.' It is worth adding that no mention
of this later work is found either in Jonathan Wordsworth's
Introduction to the facsimile edition of Sonnets and
Metrical Tales (Woodstock Books, 1996).
C: New Titles for Inclusion
1801
[?BRYER, Henry] and/or {?W.,
J.}.
EIGHT HISTORICAL TALES, CURIOUS
AND INSTRUCTIVE: I. THE UNFORTUNATE DAMASCENES. II. JETZER.
III. ARDEN OF FAVERSHAM. IV. THE GOWRIE CONSPIRACY. V.
MASANIELLO. VI. THE CAMPDEN WONDER. VII. THE MYSTERIOUS
LETTERS. VIII. IVAN THE THIRD.
London: Printed for J. Johnson,
No. 72, St. Paul's Churchyard, by H. Bryer, Bridewell
Hospital, Bridge Street, 1801.
viii, 284p, ill., map. 12mo.
4s 6d (CR).
CR 2nd ser. 35: 113 (May
1802); WSW I: 36.
BL 12612.c.2; ECB 82; NSTC
T112 (BI E, O).
Notes.
Dedication 'To that Kind Relative, Who Watched over his
Helpless Youth with Paternal Care.' 'Prefatory Invitation',
signed 'J. W.', notes: 'A few of these [fabled romances]
are offered to your perusal; be persuaded to turn awhile
from the artful fictions of the novel-writer to the volume
before you' (p. v). List of 'Tales and Authorities', pp.
vii-viii. 'The Unfortunate Damascenes', pp. [1]-62; 'Jetzer',
pp. 63-84; 'Arden of Faversham', pp. 85-130; 'The Gowrie
Conspiracy', pp. 131-58; 'Masaniello', pp. [159]-190;
'The Campden Wonder', pp. 191-225; 'The Mysterious Letters',
pp. 226-42; 'Ivan the Third', pp. [243]-284. ECB lists
under Bryer (H.), this probably relating to Henry Bryer,
the printer, who was associated with a number of historical
works at this period, including A Lilliputian History
of England, from the Norman Conquest (1806). BLC,
following signature, gives as '[By J. W.]'
1804
HARLEY, George [Davies].
CIRCUMSTANCES RESPECTING
THE LATE CHARLES MONTFORD, ESQ. BY GEORGE HARLEY, ESQ.
Liverpool: Printed by J.
M'Creery, Houghton-Street, 1804.
154, 124p. 8vo. 5s (ECB).
WSW I: 298.
BL 12614.g.20; ECB 255; NSTC
H589.
Notes.
Dedication 'To the Memory of Charles Montford, This Little
Volume, the Feeble Record of his Character, I Give and
Dedicate.' Listed under 'Novels' in British Critic,
24: 559-60 (Nov 1804), which states 'There can [.] be
no doubt, that at least the greater part of these "Circumstance"
are imaginary and fictitious' (p.559). A play, purportedly
written by 'my departed friend', begins with new arabic
pagination: 'Love in Marriage. A Comedy, in Five Acts.'
BLC and ECB treat George Harley as pseudonym. ECB dates
Sept 1804.
1804
[LINDAU, Wilhelm Adolf].
HELIODORA, OR THE GRECIAN
MINSTREL. IN THREE VOLUMES. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN
OF BARON GÖTHE.
London: (Printed by T. Plummer,
Seething-Lane, Tower-Street,) for R. Dutton, 45, Gracechurch-Street,
1804.
I 235p; II 187p; III 211p.
12mo. 12s (ECB); 10s 6d sewed (ER).
ER 4: 498 (July 1804).
BL 12547.a.10; ECB 234; NSTC
L1661 (BI C).
Notes.
Trans. of Heliodora, oder die Lautenspielerin aus Griechenland
(Meissen, 1799/1800). Half-titles read 'Heliodora, or
the Grecian Minstrel'. 1p. unn. list of 'Books, Published
by R. Dutton, (Circulating Library,) No. 45, Gracechurch-Street,
London' at ends of vols. 2 and 3. BLC correctly gives
'W. Lindau' as author of original work; it is possible
that the association with Goethe in the present instance
was aimed at stimulating greater interest. ECB lists under
Goethe, as 'Helidora; or, the Genuine [sic] minstrel',
and dates Apr 1804. Listed under 'Novels and Romances'
in Kinnear's main Catalogue as 'from the German of Goethe',
and reviewed under 'Novels and Tales' in The Anti-Jacobin
Review, 18: 357 (Aug 1804).
1805
GOETHE, [Johann Wolfgang
von].
HERMAN AND DOROTHEA: A TALE.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF GOETHE.
London: Printed for Longman,
Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster-Row, by Mercier and
Co. Northumberland-Court, Strand, 1805.
xii, 142p, ill. 12mo.
BL 11521.aaa.8; NSTC G1268.
Notes. Prose
translation of Goethe's Hermann und Dorothea, first
published in Taschenbuch fűr 1798 (Berlin,
1798). Goethe revised his work in 1799 for theatrical
performance; his revised version was an epic poem of more
than 500 hexameters. 'Advertisement' to the present work
remarks: 'The Public are already acquainted with the Poem
of Herman and Dorothea; written by the celebrated Goethe,
and translated into blank verse by Mr. Holcroft. It is
replete with beauties of every kind: but the extreme simplicity
of manners and of incident, which prevails throughout,
is a defect in the eye of some English readers; who have
not been accustomed to see the common occurrences of life
written in the language of the Muses. This consideration
occasioned the present translation, in prose, to be undertaken'
(pp. iv-v). Thomas Holcroft's verse translation was first
published in 1801.
1806
{SATCHELL, John}.
THORNTON ABBEY: A SERIES
OF LETTERS ON RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS.
London: Printed for J. Burditt
Paternoster Row. By J. W. Morris, Dunstable, 1806.
I viii, 241p; II v, 242p;
III viii, 255p. 12mo.
WSW I: 120.
BL 1697/5763; NSTC S497.
Notes. 'Preface',
signed 'Andrew Fuller', states that 'The Author of the
following work was the late Mr. John Satchell of Kettering'
(vol. 1, p. iii). Errata for vols. 1-3, 1p. unn. at end
of vol. 3. A fiction, notwithstanding its sub-title. Collates
in sixes. Wolff (Item 6164) lists a 2-vol. edn. published
in Portsea, n.d., which he speculatively dates as 1815;
this has as the subtitle 'or, the Persecuted Daughter'.
Futher edn: 2nd edn. 1814
(NSTC). NSTC gives 2nd edn. with 1810 imprint date held
at Cambridge U.L.; Portsea [1815] (Wolff, see above).
1810
ANON.
TALES ORIGINAL AND TRANSLATED
FROM THE SPANISH. BY A LADY. EMBELLISHED WITH EIGHT ENGRAVINGS
ON WOOD.
London: Printed for J. J.
Stockdale, No. 41, Pall-Mall, 1810.
391p., ill. 8vo. 12s, Large
paper 21s (ER, QR).
ER 16: 509 (Aug 1810); QR
4: 277 (Aug 1810).
BL 12614.g.21; NSTC L126
(BI C).
Frontispiece dated '23rd
May, 1810'. Dedication 'to Anna Eliza Chandos, Countess
Temple, the Accomplished Heiress, and Worthy Representative
of the Royal Magnificent, and Noble House of Chandos',
by 'her Ladyship's Unknown, but Most Obedient, and Very
Humble Servant, John Joseph Stockdale [.] 31st May, 1810'
(p. [1]). An 'Advertisement', dated 'Whitchurch, Hampshire,
1810', notes: 'The following Tales are the production
of a young Lady unknown in the Metropolis, and unused
to writing for the public eye' (p. [3]). 'Contents and
List of Cuts' follows on p. [5]. 'Philip. A Tale from
the Spanish', pp. [9]-63; 'Claudius. A Tale from the Spanish',
pp. 64-98; 'Ernest the Rebel. A Tale from the Spanish',
pp. 99-117; 'The Welsh Girls', pp. 118-243; 'The Captive's
Slave. A Tale from the Spanish', pp. 244-342; 'Doristea's
Fortune. A Tale from the Spanish', pp. 343-91. The constituent
tales are advertised separately in a 3pp. adv. list at
the end of Fatal Love (1812, see below), with prices
ranging from '1s 6d, or Royal Paper hot-pressed 2s' for
Ernest the Rebel to '4s, or Royal Paper hot-pressed
7s' for The Welsh Girls. The same list also contains
the present work in its complete form at 12s. Examination
of the BL copy shows no sign of it having been made up
from separate items.
1810
LEFANU, [Elizabeth].
THE SISTER; A TALE, IN TWO
VOLUMES. BY MRS. H. LEFANU, DAUGHTER OF THE LATE THOMAS
SHERIDAN, M.A.
London: Printed for Richards
and Co. New Public Library, Cornhill. By J. Hartnell,
Albion-Press, Bermondsey-Street, Southwark, 1810.
I 226p; II 228p. 12mo.
BL C.190.aa.15; xNSTC.
Notes.
Not, as first suspected, a children's book. Listed anonymously
under 'Novels and Romances' in Appendix (1814) to Kinnear's
Catalogue.
1812
ST. RAPHAEL, Felix [pseud.?].
FATAL LOVE; OR, LETTERS FROM
A VILLAGE. EDITED BY FELIX ST. RAPHAEL.
London: Printed for J. J.
Stockdale, 41, Pall Mall, 1812.
401p. 12mo. 8s (British
Critic).
WSW I: 43.
MRu R54907; xNSTC.
Notes.
Preface apologetically states that 'if the reader be not
interested in its contents, nor pleased with the style,
he has only one volume to pay for, to wade through, or
to throw down'. According to the British Critic,
39: 310 (Mar 1812): 'a terrible and melancholy tale, not
however ill told, of love and madness, crosses, disappointment,
and vexations innumerable'. [Details recorded by Dr Gillian
Hughes, to whom thanks are due.]
1813
ANON.
THE AGE WE LIVE IN: A FRAGMENT. DEDICATED TO EVERY YOUNG
LADY OF FASHION.
London: Printed for Lackington, Allen, and Co. Temple
of the Muses, Finsbury-Square, 1813.
236p. 12mo. 6s (ER).
ER 22: 246 (Oct 1813); QR 10: 296 (Oct 1813); WSW I: 8.
BL 12614.bbb.1; NSTC L24 (BI C, O).
Notes. Preface, signed by editor 'L. L-', notes:
'In giving the following pages to the Public, the Editor
complies with the particular injunction of the writer
of them. Her sun set at a very early period of her day
of youth; and the present volume is the result of some
of those hours of confinement that she was obliged to
submit to' (p. 3). The British Critic, 42: 80 (July
1813) lists under 'Novels', praising 'an elegant and well-written
little volume; certainly from the pen of one who knows
a great deal of fashionable life'. A journal of an invalid
young woman moving in beau monde circles; evidently unconnected
with Louisa Sidney Stanhope's The Age We Live In. A
Novel (1809: 69).
1814
[EGAN, Pierce].
THE MISTRESS OF ROYALTY;
OR, THE LOVES OF FLORIZEL AND PERIDITA, PORTRAYED IN THE
AMATORY EPISTLES, BETWEEN AN ILLUSTRIOUS PERSONAGE, AND
A DISTINGUISHED FEMALE: WITH AN INTERESTING SKETCH OF
FLORIZEL AND PERDITA, INCLUDING OTHER CHARACTERS.
London: Printed by and for
P. Egan, 29, Great Marlborough Street; and sold by all
Booksellers, 1814.
144p. 8vo.
BL C.57.b.51; NSTC E558.
Notes. Roman
à clef relating affair between Prince Regent and Mary
Robinson, in the form of letters between the pair. BL
copy has author's inscription dated 'January 25, 1843'
and signed 'Pierce Egan'. The handwritten dedication comments:
'With the Author's best respects, to J. Richardson, Esq.
If there is any merit attached to this little Book-it
is from its singularity. The Author having, in
the capacity of a Printer-composed the Types, and worked
it off at the Press.' A 'Memorial [.] Sacred to the Memory
of Perdita' appears on pp. 141-4.
D: Titles Previously not
Located for Which Holding Libraries
Have Subsequently Been Discovered
1806: 32
GENLIS, [Stéphanie-Félicité, Comtesse de].
*THE IMPERTINENT WIFE: A MORAL TALE: CONTAINING
ALSO, THE FAIR PENITENT, DALIDOR & MULCE, AND LOVERS
WITHOUT LOVE. FROM THE FRENCH OF MADAME GENLIS.
London: Printed at the Minerva Press
for Lane, Newman, and Co., 1806.
223p. 12mo. 3s 6d (ECB, ER).
ER 8: 479 (July 1806).
Georgia State University [not seen];
ECB 225.
Notes. Trans. of L'Épouse impertinente (Paris,
1804). In Blakey, but copy not seen. Fuller title (given
above) follows ER. OCLC WorldCat
(Accession No. 45320233).
1812: 5
ANON.
*FRIENDS AND LOVERS. A NOVEL. INTERSPERSED
WITH OCCASIONAL VERSE.
London: Printed for C.
Chapple, 1812.
3 vols. 15s (ER, QR).
ER 19: 511 (Feb 1812); QR 7: 231 (Mar 1812).
Rice University, Fondren Library
[not seen].
Notes. Publisher from Bent22. OCLC
WorldCat (Accession No. 12257155).
1819: 13
ANON.
*THE METROPOLIS. A NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF LITTLE HYDROGEN,
OR THE DEVIL ON TWO STICKS IN LONDON. IN THREE VOLUMES.
London: Printed for J. J. Stockdale, 41, Pall Mall, 1819.
I iv, 267p; II 273p; III 260p. 12mo.
No copy of 1st edn. located [but
see Notes].
Notes: Details above follow Bodleian copy of 2nd
edn. (249.s.263). Introduction presents the (female) narrator's
account. A different work from Eaton Stannard Barrett's
The Metropolis (1811: 18). ECB 383 lists 8th edn,
1819, 24s. OCLC WorldCat
(Accession No. 19940628) indicates copies of first edition
may be held at Guildhall Library, Emory University, Georgia,
and University of Chicago, Illinois.
Further edns: 2nd edn. (NSTC 2M26045); 8th edn.
1819 (NSTC).
1824: 44
GREEN, William Child.
*THE WOODLAND FAMILY; OR,
THE SONS OF ERROR, AND DAUGHTERS OF SIMPLICITY. A DOMESTIC
TALE, BY WILLIAM CHILD GREEN, ESQ.
London: Joseph Emans, No. 91 Waterloo Road, 1824.
iii, 557p, ill. 8vo.
Kent State University, Ohio [not
seen].
Notes: Details chiefly from Summers (p. 563); his
dating tallies with the appearance of this title as a
work by the author in The Prophecy of Duncannon
(see 1824: 43). OCLC WorldCat (Accession
No. 663761) confirms 1824 imprint date and also has 'Added
engraved title-page: London I. Emans, Lambeth'.
Further edn: 1826 (MH 18488.8.10; NSTC 2G20225).
This Harvard copy has the author's name on t.p., and the
imprint of 'J. M'Gowan and Son Great Windmill Street,
Haymarket'.
APPENDIX F: 3
[COOPER, Maria Susanna].
THE WIFE; OR, CAROLINE HERBERT. BY THE LATE AUTHOR OF
THE "EXEMPLARY MOTHER."
London: Printed for Becket and Porter, Pall-Mall;
by W. Bulmer, and Co. Cleveland-Row, 1813.
2 vols. 8vo. 10s (ECB).
WSW I: 218.
Chawton House Library; ECB
98; xNSTC.
Now part of the Chawton House Library,
and full text is given as part of the Library's Novels-on-Line
service. An epistolary novel, reportedly offering a revision
of the same author's Letters between Emilia and Harriet
(1762)-which itself had been previously revised as The
Daughter: or the History of Miss Emilia Royston, and Miss
Harriet Ayres; in a Series of Letters (see English
Novel, vol. 1, 1775: 20). The suspicion, when the
text was unseen, that The Wife might possibly be
a work directed at children proves to have been unfounded;
but a chronologically distant root source, and a possibly
complicated textual history, raise possible new difficulties
over its suitability for inclusion in the main listings.
Notes. Main details from Hardy (Item 326).
This title is not evident as a novel in contemporary circulating
library catalogues. The same author's Moral Tales
(1811), also posthumously published, is a work directed
at children.
E: New Information Relating
to Existing Title Entries
1804: 31 LAFONTAINE, August [Heinrich
Julius], *BARON DE FLEMING; OR, THE RAGE OF NOBILITY.
FROM THE GERMAN OF AUGUSTUS LA FONTAINE. It is likely
from the similarity of titles that this was translated
from the French translation: Le baron de Fleming, ou
la manie des titres (Paris, 1803).
1804: 44 MALARME, Charlotte de
Bournon; GOOCH, [Elizabeth Sarah] Villa-Real (trans.).
CAN WE DOUBT IT? OR, THE GENUINE HISTORY OF TWO FAMILIES
OF NORWICH. BY CHARLOTTE BOURNON-MALARME, MEMBER OF THE
ACADEMY OF ARCADES OF ROME. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH,
BY MRS. VILLA-REAL GOOCH. IN THREE VOLUMES. The
French original of this novel is Peut-on s'en douter?
ou, histoire véritable de deux familles de Norwich
(Paris, 1802).
1807: 3 ANON, *MARGARETTA; OR
THE INTRICACIES OF THE HEART. An account for this novel
(under the heading 'Margaretta') is given in Longman Commission
Ledger 1C, p. 42, with an intake of 300 copies itemised
on 10 August 1807. This confirms Longmans' involvement
in the work, of which several American imprints survive,
though a copy with a British imprint still remains elusive.
1815: 54 [WILLIAMS, William],
THE JOURNAL OF LLEWELLLIN PENROSE, A SEAMAN. Longmans'
letter to Orton Smith dated 4 Feb 1814 (see also 1808:
18, Section A, above) indicates that the firm was keen
at this point to procure this work via the Revd John Eagles,
the son of the author's old benefactor in Bristol, Thomas
Eagles, though having previously declined it: 'Some years
back we had offered to us a MS entitled "Penrose", which
was in the possession of the late Mr Eagles of Bristol.
We then declined it. We understand that it is now in the
hands of his son, & that he is disposed to part with
it. If you are at all acquainted with the present Mr Eagles,
we shall feel particularly obliged if you would inquire
respecting it, & on what terms he would part with
it. [.] We should wish to see the MS before we determine
finally respecting [it]' (Letter Books, I, 98, no. 131).
It was presumably at much the same time as this that John
Murray-the eventual publisher-was bargaining for it, with
Walter Scott reportedly reading and approving the MS (the
Edinburgh colophon of the printed work may be revealing
in this respect). This letter, as seen here more fully,
also encourages the view that Orton Smith lived in Bristol,
and at least associated with clergyman, if not being actually
being one himself.
1816: 7 ANON, *MALVERN HILLS;
OR, HISTORY OF HENRY FREEMANTLE. A NOVEL. [.] SECOND
EDITION. Additions in hand at end of Marshall's Catalogue
include 'Henry Freemantle 2v 1808'. This would sees to
corroborate Block's suggestion of an earlier publication
under this title c.1810. 'Henry Freemantle' also appears
as such in the main catalogues of Newman, Godwin and Bettison.
1818: 47 [PASCOE, Charlotte Champion,
and WILLYAMS, Jane Louisa], COQUETRY. The existing Notes
field states: 'National Library of Scotland MS 322, f.
285v (19 Jan 1818) shows Walter Scott recommending the
work to Robert Cadell (Constable's partner), having read
it in MS, and suggesting 'Trevanion' would be a better
title'. Though not intended, this might give the impression
that Scott was writing to Cadell. Sharon Ragaz, University
of Toronto, has sent the relevant passage from what is
actually Cadell's letter to Constable: 'I have called
on Mr Scott [.] he spoke of a Novel written by a Lady
which he thinks might do-she names it Coquetry-but he
and I agreed that was nonsense-he thinks Trevanion would
be better' NLS MS, f. 286v). As Dr Ragaz suggests,
it is likely that Scott in fact suggested 'Trevelyan'
(a name in the novel itself), with Cadell mishearing.
It is also apparent from the end-result that Mrs Pascoe
prevailed in her original choice.
1825: 38 [HÄRING, Georg Wilhelm
Heinrich]; [DE QUINCEY, Thomas (trans.)], WALLADMOR.
Advertised as to be published 'in a few days' in the Morning
Chronicle, 21 Oct 1824; then advertised as published
(first full advert) in the same paper, 18 Dec 1824. These
sighting, while indicating perhaps some delay in publication,
would seem to contradict the statement in the existing
Notes that the work 'almost certainly appeared
early in 1825'.
F: Further Editions Previously
not Noted
1816: 57 [THOMAS, Elizabeth],
PURITY OF HEART, OR THE ANCIENT COSTUME, A TALE. New
York (1st American from 2nd London edn), 1818 (personal
copy).
1824: 2 ANON, CAPRICE: OR ANECDOTES
OF THE LISTOWEL FAMILY. AN IRISH NOVEL [.] BY AN UNKNOWN.
2nd edn, as Caprice. A Novel, London, G. Lutz &
R. P. Moore, 1828 (OCLC WorldCat, Rolf Loeber and Magda
Stouthamer-Loeber). Still 'by an Unknown'!
1824: 99 [WOODROOFFE, Anne],
SHADES OF CHARACTER; OR, THE INFANT PILGRIM. 3rd edn,
2 vols., 1836, Hatchard (personal copy).
1826: 72 [SMITH, Horatio], BRAMBLETYE
HOUSE; OR, CAVALIERS AND ROUNDHEADS. Boston 1826 (Jarndyce
CXL, Item 887).
1829: 29 CROKER, T[homas] Crofton.
LEGENDS OF THE LAKES; OR, SAYINGS AND DOINGS AT KILLARNEY.
COLLECTED CHIEFLY FROM THE MANUSCRIPTS OF R. ADOLPHUS
LYNCH, ESQ. H. P. KING’S GERMAN LEGION. BY T. CROFTON
CROKER. Reprinted in 'condensed and popular form' as Killarney
Legends in 1831 (Corvey), CME 3-628-51007-4.