Lot 267

"O'Farrell, Burke" - or Christina Jeffery (née Rufford) [Warwickshire]

Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs

Auction: 14 February 2018 at 10:00 GMT

£1,000

Description

Cold Comfort. A Novel. In three volumes. London: T. Cautley Newby, 1871. 3 volumes in 2, volume 1 with "Burke O' Farrell" scored through and "Christina (Rufford) Jeffery" supplied in ink its place, 2 carte-de-visite photographs inscribed "the authoress" attached to front pastedown, and name "J.R. Bloxam, Beeding Priory", with list of names of characters in the novel set against names of real members of the Jeffery, Rufford, & Purton families, together with note at head of title "'Cold Comfort' is a Farmhouse so called near Alcester, Co. Warrick, belonging to the Marquis of Hertford", with the dedication page annotated "Christina Rufford, daughter of Philip Rufford Esq. of Alcester in the County of Warwick, and wife of the above mentioned J[ohn] E[dward] B[evor] Jeffery. She was brought up by an aunt belonging to the Church of Rome and so became a [?revenant]", a third carte de visite pasted in, some spotting

Footnote

Note: A contemporary review of Even Betting" has been pasted to the foot of the dedication page. Even Betting, 1869, 3 volumes, Proud Lucifer, 1877, 3 volumes, are also attributed to Burke O'Farrell by COPAC. It would appear from this copy that the attribution of all three novels to Burke O'Farrell needs to be reconsidered. The work also has at least one annotation: on page 8, volume 1, against "Desirée la Poer French" is the note "the authoress of this novel, Chirstina Jeffery, née Rufford". Cold Comfort Farmhouse is located at Arrow with Weethley, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire.