Keary, Annie. Mia and Charlie; or, A Week's Holiday at Rydale Rectory, with illustrations by Birket Foster. New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1858. [10953]
Teal publisher's cloth, decorated in blind, gilt titles to spine, 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches, the binding is rubbed and the spine is a bit rolled, but otherwise clean and without damage. Yellow end papers. Frontispiece wood engraving of a scene from the story, 4 additional plates, 309 pages. Some foxing and finger smudges in some places, and a few signatures are a pulled but not detached. We tightened up a few hinges with archival paste. Fair. Hardcover.
Robert Carter & Brothers were known for their Christian publications.
The story of a brother and sister on holiday, and their adventures, including the escape from a fire. The story ends with Christmas day.
Attributed to Annie Keary (1825-1879), English novelist, poet, and children's writer. She was born in the rectory at Bilton, Yorkshire, her Irish father being a former army chaplain and Anglican minister. She suffered from poor health, was educated at home, and wrote her first children's story in 1856.
She was a successful novelist and celebrated for her realistic portrayals of both young and old. Keary also wrote books on the histories of the nations in the Bible, on Scandinavian mythology, and poetry for children.
The illustrator, Myles Birket Foster (1835-1889), English wood-engraver, known for his contributions to Punch magazine and the Illustrated London News. He became expert in watercolor painting, with his subject often being scenes of rural life. As a book illustrator he was in demand, "his illustrations of Longfellow's Evangeline and books of poetry by other contemporaries were a great success." - obituary in the London Times.
