Look to the End; or, The Bennets Abroad.
New York: Harper & Brother. 1845. Hardcover. Sarah Stickney Ellis (1799-1872) was an English author who had been brought up as a Quaker but later chose to be a Congregationalist, as were others in the London Missionary Society to which she belonged. She was a prolific author whose books were mostly about the proper conduct of women in society, proposing that they had a duty as daughters, wives and mothers to provide an influence for good. Her view of their roles was very traditional and conservative. She was also a contributor to The Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual, edited by Reverend William Ellis, whom she eventually married. She is most well-known for works such as The Wives of England, The Women of England, The Mothers of England, and The Daughters of England. However,Ellis was also interested in and wrote about art and aesthetics. These works included The Poetry of Life and The Beautiful in Nature and Art.
This novel is a product of her interest in nature and art. In the Preface she writes "During the course of a journey to Rome and Naples ... my mind was often forcibly impressed with the conviction that a deep sense of beauty, as it is displayed in nature and art, has more to do with our enjoyments than is generally supposed by those who, in England, occupy the busy walks of life ... I amused myself by imagining a plain English family ... looking for the first time upon a world stretching beyond their own locality and wholly unconnected with their personal interests." This novel is her imagining of such a family traveling abroad. Because she felt that the older generation would not be able to experience an enlargement of thought, she added a younger, more impressionable member to the party. This work shows a very interesting different side of Sarah Ellis.
VERY SCARCE. First American edition. Beige cloth backed blue paper covered flexible boards. Heavy wear to exterior with creasing and chipping and soiling. Blue paper has chipped away to reveal red underneath is some areas. Appears to be an amateur binding. Browning and foxing throughout though text remains bright. Binding is loose. 142 pages. LIT/061908. Good.
Item #6174
Price: $50.00