First edition thus, the first collected edition of the two series of poetry by Procter — with the first appearance of Dickens's introduction, who encouraged her as a teen and later regularly published her work in his literary magazines.
Near fine.
Price: $400.00
"[A] Victorian woman who slowly moved from the position of dutiful daughter and retiring, ladylike poetess to that of a woman who challenged mid-Victorian mores and conventions and championed the cause of single and homeless women" — Gill Gregory
Procter's father was a friend of Dickens, who noticed her skill early. Procter's first poem was published when she was still a teenager and became one of the most popular poets of the mid-Victorian era, "capturing the public mood and her readers' hearts" (Gregory). Her most regular contributions were to Dickens's magazines HOUSEHOLD WORDS and ALL THE YEAR ROUND — however, her first submissions were anonymous, so as not to pressure Dickens to accept her poems due to his relationship with her father. The story of Dickens learning of her authorship is told in the introduction in this posthumous collection. Procter had died in 1864, and this introduction reads as a eulogy of both a family friend and respected colleague. A lovely copy in a warm Zaehnsdorf binding.
Read more: Gregory, The Life and Work of Adelaide Procter; Mason, Women Poets of the 19th Century; Podeschi, Dickens and Dickensiana. A catalogue of the Richard Gimbel Collection in the Yale University Library, B293.
London: Bell and Daldy, 1866. 8.75'' x 6.25''. Early 20th-century full brown goatskin by Zaehnsdorf, raised bands, gilt rules, original cloth bound in. Gilt dentelles, watered silk endpapers, all edges gilt. Illustrated with full-page black-and-white plates. [24], 330 pages. Touches of rubbing to boards. Leaves gently toned.
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