Publisher's Synopsis
Margaret Oliphant (1828-97) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer whose fictional works encompass domestic realism, the historical novel and tales of the supernatural. After the publication of her first two novels in 1849 and 1851 she met the publisher William Blackwood and was invited to contribute to Blackwood's Magazine, a connection which lasted throughout her life during which time she contributed well over 100 articles. After the death of her husband in 1859 she was left almost entirely without resources and had to rely on her literary output to support her three remaining children who unhappily all pre-deceased her, and her success as a writer was marred by personal sorrow. She was the author of over 120 works published in the second half of the 19th century and this novel appeared in 1874 with illustrations by George du Maurier.
