Lives of the Tudor Princesses including Lady Jane Grey and her Sisters

FIRST EDITION, 3 vols, Grangerised with 267 plates mounted in, contemporary panelled red calf, thrice ruled in gilt, floriated borders, spine gilt, marbled endpapers to volume 3, a.e.g., bookplates of W. Foyle Library, Beeleigh Abbey, enlarged to 4to for inserted plates, London, Longmans, Green, co., 1868

First edition of this scarce work by Agnes Strickland. The numerous extra-illustrations include wood-cuts, copper plates, mezzotints, lithographs and two original watercolours. Some of the plates have manuscript captions. They include portraits of relevant figures and some historical scenes or relevant landscapes.

Agnes Strickland (1796-1874) wrote historical biographies, many of which focused on female subjects and included aspects of social history that were often overlooked by her male contemporaries, such as dress, manners and diet. Strickland and her elder sister, Elizabeth, were educated by their father to a standard more usual for boys at the time.

Much of the historical research was done by Elizabeth, but Agnes was named the sole author as Elizabeth refused all publicity. Their work is a fine representation of the biographies written by Victorian women. Strickland’s style is engaging and anecdotal, although not as objective as most modern historians, but gives valuable insight into the morales of their own time. The research was laborious and conscientious, and the work remains a useful source.