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An Englishwoman in California: The Letters of Catherine Hubback 1871-76
Zoë Klippert (Ed.)
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Description for An Englishwoman in California: The Letters of Catherine Hubback 1871-76
Hardcover. A niece of Jane Austen and a novelist herself, Catherine Hubback wrote regularly to her eldest son John and his wife Mary. Her letters offer an articulate, detailed commentary on life in California by a gentlewoman managing a household and finding her place in a new world Editor(s): Klippert, Zoe. Num Pages: 240 pages, 14 black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: 1KBBWF; 2AB; 3JH; BGL; BJ; HBJK; JHMC. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 222 x 147 x 25. Weight in Grams: 460.
A niece of Jane Austen and a novelist herself, Catherine Hubback was fifty-two years old when she left England for America. She travelled to California on the Transcontinental Railroad and settled in Oakland, on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. Her son Edward shared her household and commuted by ferryboat to a wheat brokerage in the City.
In letters to her eldest son John and his wife Mary in Liverpool, Catherine conveys her delight – and her exasperation – at her new environment. She portrays her neighbours with a novelist's wry wit and brings her English sensibility to bear on gardening with unfamiliar plants and maintaining a proper wardrobe in a dry climate. She writes vividly of her adventures as she moves about a landscape recognizable to present-day residents, at a time when boats rather than bridges spanned the bay, and hot springs were the main attraction in the Napa Valley. In an atmosphere of financial unrest, she writes freely of her anxieties, while supplementing Edward's declining income by making lace and teaching the craft to other women. She recalls her 'prosperous days' in England, but finds pleasure in small things and assuredly takes her place in a society marked by great disparities in wealth.
In addition to transcriptions of the letters, this highly readable edition offers pertinent information on many of the people and places mentioned, explanatory notes, and striking illustrations. The introduction places the letters in context and tells the story of Catherine Hubback, whose life evolved in ways unprecedented in the Austen family.
In letters to her eldest son John and his wife Mary in Liverpool, Catherine conveys her delight – and her exasperation – at her new environment. She portrays her neighbours with a novelist's wry wit and brings her English sensibility to bear on gardening with unfamiliar plants and maintaining a proper wardrobe in a dry climate. She writes vividly of her adventures as she moves about a landscape recognizable to present-day residents, at a time when boats rather than bridges spanned the bay, and hot springs were the main attraction in the Napa Valley. In an atmosphere of financial unrest, she writes freely of her anxieties, while supplementing Edward's declining income by making lace and teaching the craft to other women. She recalls her 'prosperous days' in England, but finds pleasure in small things and assuredly takes her place in a society marked by great disparities in wealth.
In addition to transcriptions of the letters, this highly readable edition offers pertinent information on many of the people and places mentioned, explanatory notes, and striking illustrations. The introduction places the letters in context and tells the story of Catherine Hubback, whose life evolved in ways unprecedented in the Austen family.
Product Details
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2010
Publisher
The Bodleian Library
Condition
New
Number of Pages
240
Place of Publication
, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781851243440
SKU
V9781851243440
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-50
About Zoë Klippert (Ed.)
Zoë Klippert is a freelance editor, born in Philadelphia. She lives east of Oakland, in Moraga, California.
Reviews for An Englishwoman in California: The Letters of Catherine Hubback 1871-76
"April 1874: '... on Friday we went across the bay, and then beyond the city, out to Saucelito, which is a wild and very pretty place, where very few people live; but a great many go over for the day to gather flowers, and eat their luncheons out of doors.'"