In the Rough

Wellington, N.Z.: Edwards, Russell & Co, 1894. About very good.. 28pp. 12mo. Original red cloth, cover gilt; edges red. Light wear and soiling. Small portion of flyleaf torn away to remove previous owner's name; presentation inscription from the author. Small library ink stamp on rear flyleaf. A presentation copy of the only published work by Louisa Blake (1844-1901), reformer and advocate for women's suffrage in New Zealand. The short collection of verse, largely devotional, also contains an interesting panegyric exalting the role of the Bishop of Mashonaland in saving a comrade during the First Matabele War in Zimbabwe, titled "A True Incident of the Matabele Campaign." Outside of the Antipodes, OCLC locates just four copies, with only one of these in the United States, at the University of Pennsylvania.