Boyle, Mary Louisa. The Forester: A Tale of 1688. First Edition. Volumes 1 and 2 (of 3) ONLY! London, Printed for Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans. 1839. 19 x 11 cm. Vol.1: vi, (2), 358 pages / Vol.2: (2), 345 pages. No half titles / frontispiece. Potentially missing. Contemporary half leather over marbled boards. Brown end papers. Gilt titles and volume numbers on spine. Gilt and blind decorations. Very good condition. Age darkened, rubbed and bumped. Names of previous owners inscribed. Bookseller stickers on front paste down of both volumes. Front and rear joint of volume 1 cracked.

Boyle, Mary Louisa, (1810-1890) writer; daughter of Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir Courtenay Boyle. For the most part privately educated but attended a young ladies’ school for about four years. Moved in social circle of the titled and the literary. Author of The State Prisoner and The Forester, novels influenced by those of G. P. R. James; Tangled Weft, two stories; The Bridal of Melcha, a drama in verse; a privately printed volume of poems dedicated to Landor; biographical notices of the portraits at Longleat and at other estates, privately printed.
Miss Boyle met Charles Dickens in 1849; thereafter she was often a guest of the Dickenses. Dickens thought her the best amateur actress that he had ever seen and was delighted to have her take part in his theatricals. Charles Lever, who credited himself with having trained Miss Boyle in the art of acting, called her “Dickens’s prima donna” (Downey, Charles Lever, II, 83-84). Dickens carried on a flirtation with Miss Boyle, and she frequently presented him with little tokens of affection. The two became close friends (www.djo.org.uk).

• Keywords: Classical & Old Literature · Literature
• Language: English
• First edition
• Inventory Number: 101772AB

Our price: EUR 100,--