Fardorougha The Miser; Or, The Convict Of Lisnamona Carleton, William Irish & Ireland: Fiction And Poetry

12mo, 6.75 in. x 4.25 in., pp. xii, 359. Illustrated with frontispiece plate printed in color by C. Graf. Rich dark blue full calf with fine gilt double frame to front and back. Gilt title on red and black panels, and four raised bands, to spine. All edges bright gilt. Very light shelfwear to edges. Gilt dentelles and marbled endpapers. Previous owner's name to verso of front free endpaper. Spine and hinges tight. Handsome copy from an unusual publisher. Previous owner was George Bentham. Could it have belonged to George Bentham, the famous botanist (1800-1884)? William Carleton, (born Feb. 20, 1794, Prillisk, County Tyrone, Ire.â€"died Jan. 30, 1869, Dublin), was a prolific writer who realistically portrayed the life of the rural Irish. Born the youngest of 14 children on a small farm, Carleton learned to appreciate the Irish heritage from his father, a man swell-versed in the rich folklore of the area. At first a village tutor, he published a two-volume collection of sketches, Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry (1830), which describes the Ireland of the 19th-century tenant farmer. The writings that followedâ€"e.g., Tales of Ireland (1834), Fardorougha the Miser (1839), and The Black Prophet (1847)â€"deal with such rural problems as the land question, secret patriotic societies, and famine. The Black Prophet, a powerful, almost Gothic novel, was published at the height of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-49. Although filled with local colour, his powerful stories had wide appeal and were translated into French, German, and Italian. (from Brittanica). Fourth Edition, Carefully Revised and Corrected.