|
|
 |
Evelyn Whitaker, 1844-1929, anonymous author of: Miss Toosey's Mission, Laddie, Letters
to Our Working Party, Tip Cat, Zoe, Our Little Ann, Belle, Ward's
Cross, Dear, Don, For the Fourth Time of Asking, , Lil, Pen, Pomona, Pris, Rob [Rob & Kit in US editions], Rose and Lavender, Tom's Boy, My Honey,
Baby Bob, Baby John, Faithful, Gay, Lassie, Phoebe's Hero.
| Our logo is from the book jacket of |
|
|
| Miss Toosey's Mission & Laddie issued by M.A. Donohue & Co., 1903 |
Late
Victorian author Evelyn Whitaker, a British woman, wrote "stories" and "tales" intended
for young people although her books were widely read by adults, particularly women. Her books were popular prizes given to
school children and were reissued and read well into to the 20th Century.
Tip Cat was selected as a text
for students studying English in German and French universities. Her
writing "style is noteworthy for its fluency and ease, and the diction is pure English, a study in English for its
conciseness, simplicity, and elegance."
—Providence Journal.
The
novels were issued anonymously until 1903 when the identity of Evelyn Whitaker as the author of the beloved Miss
Toosey's Mission and Laddie was revealed on the title page of Gay. A Story.
Her books were issued by multiple publishers in Britain and the
United States. Better editions were well illustrated. In the U.S. there are some rather stunning examples
of pirated releases.
Evelyn Whitaker
founded The Buttercups, a convalescent home for children.
New biographical
information.
Information re. The Buttercups
new acquisition: Messr. Robert Brothers Publishers
by Raymond L. Kilgour (1952) EW's US publisher during 1880s & 1890s.
n.b
.Evelyn Whitaker's previous dates (1857-1903) taken from the Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature and from library
card catalogs are not birth/death years but publishing career years. 1903 is the year that author's name was revealed.
The 1857 date is probably a cataloging error resulting from a confusion of titles. K
Cummings Pipes.
|
|
"The
art of dealing with domestic scenes and subjects in a tender, sympathetic way without passing the line dividing sentiment
from sentimentality gives relish to whatever falls from this gifted writer's pen." Edward Jewitt Wheeler, editor, Current Opinion, Vol. XI
September-December, 1892. p. 388.
These "little
stories... astonish the critic, who sees how well it is done and how direct is its appeal to the average reader, and yet how
entirely simple and commonplace it is.... "English women novelists seem to have a boundless
capacity for this sort of thing, and the mass of the public seems to respond instantly to the human nature so quietly and
gently portrayed. "the story is told with such touches of the nature that makes the whole world kind, such shrewd,
kindly common sense, that the simple tale holds the interest to the end and we are made to feel that the quiet, hidden life
of the commonplace woman is capable of more glory than we knew." Herbert Welsh, editor,
City and State, Vol. XIV No. 1, 1903. p. 97 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Browse
the annotated catalog of the collection which includes binding descriptions and
listings of publishers' advertisements.
The page for each novel includes:
- a photo of the binding or frontis
- "blurbs" from the publishers' advertisements
- links to on-line versions of the text
- synopsis of the novel, with quotations
- quotations illustrating aspects of 19th century life
- selected illustrations
Visit the librarian's blog: The Life I Read by K Cummings Pipes
|
|
|
|
|
|
The collection was developed & this
website is maintained by K Cummings
Pipes. I strive to comply with copyright law. I believe all the
quotations and illustrations on this website are either in the public domain or comply with standards of fair use.
My original materials, including my synopses, my notes on Victorian life, and articles bearing my byline, are copyrighted
(K Cummings Pipes, 2007.) Permission is hereby granted for non-profit use which should include a citation to this website. If you are in university and need a hard copy citation to this information please contact email address
below. If you make use of this material, I'd appreciate a note as a courtesy. |
|
|
|
