THE HISTORY OF CRAZY JANE

Alnwick: W. Davison, 1818. Very good plus.. Second edition of this tragic story of a woman driven mad by a scheming lover, owned by author and socialite Dorothy Una Ratcliffe. CRAZY JANE was Sarah Wilkinson's "most frequently reprinted work," and is a prime example of her literary focus on "the plight of women victimized for sexual failings" (OXFORD DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY). Wilkinson, who wrote over 50 chapbook romances and operated a circulating library, was also known for her gothic fiction: Marshall B. Tymn calls her "one of the most productive and gifted of female fiend-mongers" (171). The love interest of CRAZY JANE is certainly such a fiend: after coercing Jane into a sexual encounter with promises of marriage, he abandons her.
Author and editor Dorothy Una Ratcliffe, who owned this copy of CRAZY JANE in the early 20th century, had direct experience with a similar kind of fiend. Unable to have children due to a venereal disease contracted from her philandering husband, she was further unable to divorce him as it would reflect poorly on his aristocratic family. A compelling title with interesting provenance. 5.5'' x 3.5''. Modern blue cloth binding with gilt spine lettering. Original brown printed wrapper. Engraved frontispiece and pictorial title page, with three full-page wood engraved plates. 40 pages. Bookplate of Dorothy Una Ratcliffe (D. U. R.) to front pastedown.