STRICKLAND, Agnes.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Lives of the Queens of England. A sumptuous production, number 652 of 1,000 sets printed for subscribers only. The elaborate bindings, with armorial doublures, were commissioned by the publishers for the Brooklynite Adelaide Virginia Black née Pierce (1862-1915), whose name is printed on the limitation page. This popular Victorian publication was a milestone in the development of female historiography, the biographical tradition, and manuscript research.Elizabeth Strickland (1794-1875) collaborated with Agnes (1796-1874), but the elder sister's retiring nature ensured that the latter was the only named author of their work. They began preparations in the early 1830s with "pioneering and intensive" research into original documents in the British Museum Library, state papers, and the archives of country houses (ODNB). Agnes, as the public face of the venture, corresponded with antiquaries, scholars, and leading Catholic families, lest her strong Protestantism prevent her appreciation of the pre-Reformation queens. The Lives were published between 1840 and 1848, and with their success Agnes became a well-known figure. Today the Stricklands are recognized for "creating a tradition of female worthies" and their departure from more "'masculine' approaches to history which ignored social, cultural, and domestic issues" (ODNB).

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.