Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility

"He received the kindest welcome from her; and shyness, coldness, reserve, could not stand against such a reception."



"'Well,' said he, 'we have brought you some strangers. How do you like them?'"



"To prevent the possibility of mistake, be so good as to look at this face."


Once again, these are by someone named C. E. Brock, dated 1898, for a 1906 multi-volume set of the works of Jane Austen.

Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility

"The gentleman offered his services, took her up in his arms, and carried her down the hill"



"To take three thousand pounds from the fortune of their dear little boy would be impoverishing him."

These images are by someone named C. E. Brock, dated 1898. The book they are from is dated 1906.

Uncle Tom Andy Bill : a story of bears and Indian treasure, Charles Major, illus. P. Van E. Ivory, 1908

Had to scan this in grayscale, because my pokey little Visioneer scanner couldn't handle it in natural tones. This is a real cave, btw, so I hope some spelunkers happen by, who will appreciate this old image.

Uncle Tom Andy Bill : a story of bears and Indian treasure, Charles Major, illus. P. Van E. Ivory, 1908

Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, 1906

This is the frontispiece of the Sense and Sensibility volume of a twelve-volume set of her works, limited run of 1250, published by Frank S. Holby. Here's the caption to the picture:

This is from a portrait of Jane Austen, said to have been paitned when she was on a visit to Bath, at about the age of fifteen, by Johann Zoffany. The original is in the possession of the Rev. J. Moreland Rice, Rector of Bramber, Sussex, and grandson of Miss Austen's second brother Edward. It is here reproduced by the kind permission of Mr. Rice, who tells me that it formerly belonged to Colonel Austen of Kippington, a descendant of the kind "Uncle Francis" Austen, who was Miss Austen's great-uncle, and the early friend of her father. He gave it to his friend, Mrs. Hardinge-Newman, a devoted admirer of the novelist, and her step-son, Dr. Hardinge-Newman, left it to Mr. Rice. -Ed.

The original painting referenced above can be found with this search. I'll be posting more from this book as I get time.

Uncle Tom Andy Bill : a story of bears and Indian treasure, Charles Major, illus. P. Van E. Ivory, 1908

I'll have more of this one later.

Stover at Yale, Owen Johnson, illus. Frederick R. Gruger 1912

College sure has changed a lot since 1912. If I had been around back then, I'd probably be picking tobacco, attending the Primitive Baptist Church, and blogging by oil lamp.

Carnac's Folly, Gilbert Parker, illus Walter Lauderback, 1922

Sorry for the b/w, but that's how it was in the book. This illustrator doesn't seem to have appeared in any other books, that I can find in a cursory online search.

Big Business Murder, 1935

A British financial industry thriller from the Thirties. Click on it for the larger view.

Illustrations in old books

I frequently encounter old books, from the 1880s on through the present. I've often been struck by the wonderful old illustrations in many of them, and so now I've gotten around to sharing them with you guys. I've let too many get by, over the years, and the starter set I'm presenting now is not the very best I've seen. Still maybe some viewers will enjoy these, and it'll save some forgotten illustrators from utter obscurity. And away we go!