Holiday Reading

My blip of the Catherine Sinclair memorial referred to a children's book called Holiday House. I had never heard of it so, naturally, checked out on-line booksellers to see if any were available. Apparently it is widely available in a variety of publications but I managed to win one on eBay (for 99p plus postage).

It arrived today. The publication date is not marked but it has a Sunday School Prize plate dated Christmas 1901, 110 years ago. There is a little damage to the binding but it is perfectly readable.

On the title page she quotes Cowper: Young heads are giddy, and young hearts are warm and make mistakes for manhood to reform. She also quotes Sir Walter Scott, from direct conversation, who deplored the fact that 'all play of the imagination is carefully discouraged'. It is clear that Catherine was of the view that children should be allowed freedom to use their imagination and in the preface states 'In these pages the author has endeavoured to paint that species of noisy, frolicsome, mischievous children, now almost extinct, wishing to preserve a sort of fabulous remembrance of days long past, when young people were like wild horses on the prairies, rather than like well-broken hacks on the road...'

Catherine had no children of her own, but doesn't she sound like the best Auntie ever?