[1900 Autograph Letter Signed by Mary W. Findlater, Scottish Novelist].

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Autograph Letter Signed by Mary W. Findlater (1865–1963), Scottish novelist, best known for her novel Crossriggs (1908), co-written with her sister and lifelong writing collaborator, Jane Findlater (1866–1946). In that novel, an unmarried female protagonist finds independence and uses an inheritance to travel and escape a life of self-sacrifice.

Here, Mary writes from Devonshire, where she and her sister had moved that year. She discusses servants, household furnishings, and gives an observant and poignant account of a donkey: “I see your daughter’s poor little Donkey standing head down with the most forlorn air in the world in the field behind your house I sometimes hear him braying piteously!”

“Mary published her first book, Songs & Sonnets, in 1895, but it was the publication of Jane’s first novel, The Green Graves of Balgowrie, in 1896 which launched their careers. … Between 1897 and 1914 Mary published ten novels, including two written with Jane, and two in collaboration with Jane, Kate Douglas Wiggin, and Allan McAuley, while Jane published short stories and four novels of her own. Popular with British and American readers as well as with the critics, the sisters enjoyed financial security and a growing circle of distinguished friends, including Sir Edward and Lady Grey and the novelist Mary Cholmondeley. They moved to Devon in 1900 for their mother’s health. In 1905 Mary and Jane went on a successful publicity tour of the United States, where they formed friendships with Henry James, and William and Alice James, among others.” (ODNB)

Price: $75.00