Lady Sybil's Choice: A Tale of the Crusades

New York: Robert Carter & Brother, 1879. First American edition. Octavo. Brown cloth ornately stamped in black and gilt; vi, [3], 2-342 pp., [1] adverts. Although there is no date printed anywhere in the book, a contemporary ownership signature dated 1879 leads us to believe that the Robert Carter edition was the first American edition and published the same year as the English edition of J. F. Shaw. Robert Carter appears to have been Ms. Holt's American publisher, as an advert in the rear lists 11 of her other titles for sale. Emily Sarah Holt (1836-1893) was a Victorian Protestant and a prolific author of historical fiction. In Lady Sybil's Choice, Holt's female protagonist undergoes personal and religious transformation during the Crusades. A Very Good copy with some chipping to crown; corners bumped. We find no copies of the American first edition in commerce (2015) and only one copy held institutionally (University of Rochester). Scarce thus.