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The Bristol Milkmaid's Only Novel

YEARSLEY, ANN.

The Royal Captives: A Fragment of a Secret History Copied from an Old Manuscript.

Place and Imprint: London: Printed for G. G. and J. Robinson, 1795.
Edition: First edition.
Bibliographical References: ESTC T57814 (four volumes); Garside, Raven & Schöwerling 1795:50; NCBEL II, 698.
Condition: Some mild browning; light damp-stains in the bottom margins of a few signatures in volume two; very good copy.
Book ID: 27410

Physical Description

2 vols, 12mo, modern brown buckram, maroon leather spine labels, gilt lettering, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. With half-titles.

Comments

The only novel by Ann Yearsley (1753-1806), the interesting working class poet known as the “Bristol Milkmaid.” The Royal Captives, based on the popular French tale of the man in the iron mask, uses the guise of a gothic thriller to examine favorite subjects of Yearsley's: class distinctions, political dissent, the misstreatment of women and the poor. Yearsley notes in her witty preface that she intentionally left the novel unfinished and implies that if the public demands it of her she will complete the tale. “Finis” is found at the end of volume two, but the novel was very popular and some months later Yearsley wrote and published two further volumes, not present here and much rarer the first two. Contemporary ink ownership initials on each title-page.

Price: $650.00