Agnes Giberne

Agnes Giberne (19 November 1845 in Belgaum, India – 20 August 1939 in Eastbourne, England) was a prolific British novelist and scientific writer.[1] Her fiction was typical of Victorian evangelical fiction with moral or religious themes for children. She also wrote books on science for young people, a handful of historical novels, and one well-regarded biography.

Agnes Giberne
Born(1845-11-19)19 November 1845
Died20 August 1939(1939-08-20) (aged 93)
NationalityEnglish
Other namesA. G.
OccupationWriter and scientist
Years active1864–1930
Known forPopularising science and juvenile evangelical fiction
Notable work
Sun, Moon, and Stars (1879)
Artist's impression of midnight on Saturn from Giberne's popular astronomy book Sun, Moon and Stars

Biography

Giberne was born in Belgaum, Karnataka, India on 19 November 1845,[2] the daughter of Captain Charles Giberne (16 June 1808  21 December 1902)[3] of the Bengal Native Infantry and Lydia Mary Wilson (c. 1816  20 May 1890)[4].[5] Her ancestors were Huguenots from Languedoc in France where the "de Gibernes" lived in Chateau de Gibertain.[6] Charles Giberne was from a large family. He had eight sisters and four brothers.[note 1] Three of his brothers also served in India.[7]

Giberne's parents married at St. Mary the Virgin, Walthamstow on 11 December 1838.[8][9] It is not absolutely clear how many siblings Giberne had. The British Library's India Family History and Families in British India Society records show:

  • Mary Lydia Giberne, on 1 December 1840 at Karrack, Persian Gulf.[10] She died at Ahymednuggar on 7 May 1842, aged 17 months.[11]
  • Twins born on 21 January 1844 at Ahmednuggur, with the boy still-born and the girl, Helen Mary Giberne, surviving.[12] However, She died in the first quarter of 1861, aged 17.[13]
  • Agnes, born on 19 Nov 1845 at Belgaum, the subject of this page.
  • Florence, born on 1 June 1847 at Poona.[2] However, she died in Brighton on 5 September 1858, aged 11 years.[14]
  • Eliza, born on 5 December 1848, At her maternal grandfather's at Worton House, Over-Warton, Oxfordshire.[15] Died aged 79 on 22 February 1928.[16]

By the time of the 1851 census, Lydia Mary was staying with her four surviving daughters at Beach in Weston-super-mare with the Rector of Eyam in Derbyshire and his family. Charles Giberne had already been pensioned off and was staying at no 17, Beaufort, in Bath with two servants. By the time of the 1861 census, only two girls survived, Giberne and her sister Eliza.

Eliza was educated privately,[17] by governesses and special masters.[18] She began to scribble stories at age seven and shared these with her sisters[19] She ascribed her literary tastes to her mother and her scientific curiosity to her father.[18][20]:244

Writing

Giberne states that she began to publish children's stories at seventeen. These were probably short stories in magazines. The first children's book by Giberne in the British Library is A Visit to Aunt Agnes (Religious Tract Society, London, 1864). It was advertised on 24 November 1864 at the price of two shillings.[21] Giberne would have been 19 by then. Copson states that her children's stories were "typical works of Victorian evangelical fiction emphasizing childish faults and the need for salvation."[5]

The lithographs by Kronheim & Co. for A Visit to Aunt Agnes, by courtesy of the University of Florida Digital Collections.[22]

Initially, Giberne's work was signed either A. G. or she was indirectly indicated through identifying other works she had written. The first book in England which bears her name was The Curate's House which she wrote to draw attention to clerical poverty.[6][note 2] Giberne had a wider range than just evangelical and didactic stories for young children. She also wrote books targeted at young adolescent girls, which was mainly published by the Religious Tract Society.[20]:245

Giberne also wrote historical novels including:

  • Detained in France : a tale of the first French empire (Seeley, 1871). A story about the English people detailed by Napoleon on the outbreak of war.[26]
  • Aimée: a tale of the days of James the Second (Seeley, 1872). A story about the Hugenot persecution in France and their flight to England.[27]:267
  • Coulyng Castle, or, A knight of the olden days (Seeley, 1875). A picture of castle life under Henry IV and Henry V.[27]:31
  • Roy. A tale in the days of Sir John Moore. (Pearson, 1901). Returns to the theme of those detained by Napoleon, but adds in Sir John Moore's famous retreat and the Battle of Corunna.[27]:141
  • Under Puritan rule: a tale of troublous days (National Society's Depository, 1909). Focuses on the sufferings of those Anglican clergy who were deprived of their livings by the Puritans.[27]:76

In 1895 Giberne published A lady of England: the life and letters of Charlotte Maria Tucker (Hodder & Stoughton), who wrote children's fiction under the pseudonym "A Lady of England" (A.L.O.E.), and late in life, became a missionary in India.[note 3] Giverne's Aunt Caroline Cuffley Giberne (1803-1885) had also worked as a missionary in India, and also concentrated on work with women and girls.[29]

However, Giberne is best remembered for her books popularising science.[6] Giberne was an amateur astronomer who worked on the committee setting up the British Astronomical Association and became a founder-member in 1890.[30][note 4] Giberne's first foray into science was a book on astronomy Sun, Moon and Stars: Astronomy for Beginners (Seeley, 1879). She had sent the proofs to Charles Pritchard (29 February 1808 – 28 May 1893), the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University and he was so impressed by it that he wrote, without being asked, a very positive introduction.[31]. The Graphic stated that "As an introduction to a science, it could scarcely be more attractive, and it is the best book of the kind we have seen."[32]

The book remained in print for many years and had sold 10,000 copies by 1884,[33] 24,000 copies by 1898,[34] and 26,000 by 1903, when she issued another revised edition.[35] However, this total probably does not include the sales in the United States, where the book was published as The Story of The Sun, Moon, and Stars, as the totals cited come from the edition count on the title page of the Seeley editions, and Seeley would only have counted their own editions, and not those of another publisher.

Giberne wrote several other books on Astronomy including:

  • Among the Stars, or wonderful things in the sky (Seeley, 1884),[36] intended for younger children, where a boy called Ikon has the solar system and stars explained to him by a professor. St James's Gazette said that Giberne "tells about the wonderful things in the sky in clear pleasant language that every child can understand, and in a manner that is probably new to them. Some of the lessons are illustrated by little experiments which will be both amusing and instructive to repeat in the nursery; and there are visits the sun and moon that read like strange and beautiful fairy-tales. In every way this is a most excellent book for children.[37]
  • The starry skies, first lessons on the sun, moon and stars (Seeley & Co).[38] In this book Giberne "offered lucid and simple explanations of gravity, the seasons, the rotation of the earth, the moon, the sun, the planets of the solar system, comets, meteors, stars, and nebulae".[39]:429 As with some of the other books for children Giberne used the power of the imagination to help teach scientific fact.
  • Radiant suns (Seeley & Co, 1895), a sequel to Sun, moon and star but more advanced. It covered the history of astronomy, the relatively new science of spectral analysis, and a discussion of the stellar universe.[40]
  • This Wonderful Universe (SPCK, 1895). Completely rewritten and revised for an illustrated edition in 1920. An introduction to the heavens for younger readers.

Giberne did not ignore the other sciences, she also wrote books on:

  • Geology, with The world's foundations, or Geology for beginners (Seeley, 1882). In her preface, Gilberne noted that some counted Geology to be a dangerous subject, and that there can be no confict between the Bible, as the word of God, and His handiwork, in the shape of the Geology of the Earth.[41]
  • Physics, with Twilight Talks, or easy lessons on things around us (Religious Tract Society, 1882).A little volume for children on scientific subjects.[42]}} In her preface, Giberne says that if the book were called "An introduction to Physics" it would frighten off its intended users.[43]
  • Hydrology with Father Aldur. A water story, etc.[44] Here again imagination (a sleeping boy dreams of the river as a living being) and scientific fact are interwoven.[45]
  • Meteorology, with The Ocean of Air, Meteorology for Beginners (Seely, 1890).[46] This volume also had an enthusiastic preface written by Charles Pritchard, again volunteered by him, when he read the proofs.[47] The book described the "gases, water, forms of life, movement, disturbances, and forces within air."[39]:432 The photographs illustrating the book were said to be "genuine works of art".[48]
  • Natural History, with A modern Puck, a fairly story for children (Jarrold, 1898).[49] This was ostensibly a fairy story but contained lots of nuggets of information about animal behaviour, insects etc. One review said that the book was one which "teaches much", but unobtrusively and not "as if it were teaching at all," and every healthy-minded child must be delighted "with such a book, with its pleasant and quite natural make-believe."[50] The magic cloak which the fairy used enabled the heroine to see "into the homes of many an animal and insect."[51]
  • Oceanography, with The Mighty Deep and what we know of it (Pearson, 1902).[52] One reviewer said "Call it oceanography and it is apt to repel; put it in Miss Giberne'e graceful words and it attracts while it teaches."[53]. Another said "It is a singularly informing book, and is written in such a way that any boy or girl of average intelligence will not only understand it readily but will thoroughly enjoy it. There are too too few books of this class."[54]
  • Science in general, with This Wonder World (Religious Tract Society, 1913). In this volume, Giberne addresses a range of topics "how the wood and the iron and the coal come to be here, and how the air and the water and the fire serve us. Concerning these and other subjects such as flying machines, Miss Giberne writes very simply and effectively."[55]
  • Botany, with The garden of earth, a little book on plant-life, plantgrowth, and the ways and uses of plants (SPCK, 1920).[56] "It is not a Manual of Botany with hard and dry names, which often make the subject distasteful, but a book introducing us gradually and simply to an intimate and loving acquaintance with the inhabitants of the vegetable world."[57]

Giberne was prolific. At her peak in the 1880s and 1890s, she produced 36 and 33 volumes respectively. Her output tapered off after 1900. However, her output over eight decades indicates her dedication to her work.

Published volumes by Giberne per decade
DecadeNumber
1860186912
1870187926
1880188936
1890189933
1900190911
191019197
192019294
193019391

Later life

Although the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states that Giberne wrote for her own interests rather than to earn money,[5] she relied to some extent on her royalty income. Giberne found herself with severe financial problems in 1905, and applied to the Royal Literary Fund. She was now sixty, and was said to have given up the best years of her life to support her ailing father (who had died in 1902). She had failing eyesight, with cataracts in both eyes, and a weak heart. Her income was listed as an annuity, the royalties from her books, and £100 a year from the Indian Civil Service as a pensioner's child. She was awarded £200 from the Royal Literary Fund and £273 from the Royal Bounty Fund, both to be put towards the purchase of a Post Office annuity. However, her royalty income was falling, and her nominal income of £170 was not sufficient due to the rising cost of living, and she had been force to sell some furniture and all of her silver as well as moving into smaller accommodation. This time she was awarded a grant of £50.[39]:428-429

The 1911 census found her lodging in rooms at 2, The Avenue, Eastbourne. In 1939 she was living at 21 Enys Road Eastbourne.[58] She died in a nursing home[6] at 16 Motcombe Road, Eastbourne, on 20 August 1939, aged 94. Her estate was worth £539 18s 11d.[58]

List of works

The following list of works has developed largely from a search[59] on the Jisc Library Hub Discover database.[note 5]. Where necessary, missing details such as page counts and publisher's names have been filled in by searches on WorldCat and on newspaper archives.

Published works by Giberne
SerialYearTitlePlacePublisher (in London unless stated)PagesNotes
11860Short account of the four ancient empiresMadrasAmerican Mission Press, Madras42 p., 14 cm[note 6]
21864A visit to Aunt Agnes, for very little childrenLondonReligious Tract Society80 p., ill. (a col.), 19 cm[note 7]
31864Maude GrenvilleLondonSPCK2, 132p., 3 ill., 18cm[note 8]
41865Among the Mountains, or the Harcourts at MontreuxLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Halliday348 p., 8º[note 9]
51865Mabel and Cora, or The sisters of Stoneycroft HallLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Halliday245 p. : fs., 19 cm[note 10]
61865Sunday Afternoons with MammaLondonReligious Tract Society80 p., 8º[note 11]
71866LindaLondonSPCK1, 159 p. , 3 p. of plates : ill, 19 cm[note 12]
81867Beechenhurst, A taleLondonNisbet & Co4, 418, 2p. : ill., 17cm[note 13]
91868Willie and Lucy at the sea-side, For very little childrenLondonReligious Tract Society96 p., plates (col.) : ill., 17.8 cm[note 14]
101869Hungering and thirstingLondonReligious Tract Society106, 2p. : ill., 17cm[note 15]
111869MignonetteLondonSeeley, Jackson, & Halliday348 p. : ill., 19 cm[note 16]
121869The curate's homeLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Halliday4,391,5p. : front., 8 ̊.[note 17]
131871Charity's birthday textLondonReligious Tract Society104, 4 p. : 2 ill., 16 cm[note 18]
141871Detained in France, a tale of the first French empireLondonSeeley, Jackson & Hallidayv, 1, 363, 5 p. : 1 illustration, 20 cm[note 19]
151871Eva and Bertie, a tale for little childrenLondonReligious Tract Society178, 2 p., 1 p. of plates : ill., 16 cm
161871The day-star, or The Gospel story for little onesLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayvii, 264 p. 11 p. of plates : ill., 17 cm
171872Aimée, a tale of the days of James the SecondLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayvii, 1, 404, 4 p. : fs., 8 ̊[note 20]
181872The two little BrucesLondonReligious Tract Society191, 1 p., plates, 16.5 cm
191872Willie and Lucy at HomeLondonReligious Tract Society104 p., 8º
201873Not forsaken, or The old house in the cityLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayiv, 194, 2 p., 4 ill., 18 cm
211874Drusie's own storyLondonSeeley, Jackson, & Halliday329, 3 p., 1 plate : 1 ill., 19 cm
221874Floss Silverthorn, or the Master's little handmaidLondonSeeley, Jackson, & Halliday(c. 240p p. in other eds.), 8º
231874The mists of the valleyLondonSeeley, Jackson, & Halliday247 p., 19 cm
241874Willie and Lucy abroadLondonReligious Tract Society92 p., 4 of col. plates : ill., 19 cm
251875Coulyng Castle, or A knight of the olden daysLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayx, 347, 2 p. : 1 ill., 19 cm[note 21]
261875Lisa Baillie's journalLondonReligious Tract Society105, 2 p. : 1 ill., 16 cm
271875Old Mattie's Musings. [In verse.]London1 Vol., 16º
281876The lost found, or Brunhild's trialsLondonReligious Tract Society127 p., 1 ill., 17 cm
291876Will Foster of the ferryLondonSeeley, Jackson, & Hallidayiv, 186 p., 1 1 ill., 18 cm
301877The battle-field of lifeLondonSeeley, Jackson, & Hallidayiv, 344, 4 p., 1 1 ill., 19 cm
311878Nurse Seagrave's story, her first, second and third placesLondonReligious Tract Society128 p. : ill., 17 cm
321878The hillside childrenLondonSeeley, Jackson & Hallidayiv, 259 p., 1 illustrations, 19 cm
331879Hand and Heart Christmas Box of Fireside Tales and SketchesLondon'Hand and Heart' Publishing Office160 p., 8º[note 22]
341879Hohnfrida's Christmas Cheer[note 23]
351879Muriel Bertram, a taleLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayvi, 382, 2 p. : ill., 19 cm
361879Sun, moon and stars, astronomy for beginnersLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayxiv, 302 p., 16 ill. (some col.), 19 cm[note 24]
371879The rector's home, a storyLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayviii, 373 p., 19 cm
381879The upward gazeLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayviii, 183 p., 11 cm
391880Royal PriestsLondonSeeley & Cox, 176 p., (16º)[note 25]
401881Duties and Duties. A taleLondonSeeley, Jackson & Coviii, 346 p., 8º
411881My Father's House, or Thoughts about HeavenLondonSeeley & Cox, 234 p., 16º
421881Readings with the Little OnesLondonReligious Tract Society95 p., 8º
431881Through the Linn, or Miss Temple's WardsLondonReligious Tract Society160 p., 8º
441882Decima's PromiseLondonNisbet & Covi, 244 p., 8º
451882Jacob Witherby, or “Need of Patience.”LondonReligious Tract Society160 p., 8º
461882Our Folks, John Churchill's letters homeLondon'Hand & Heart' Publishing Office86 p., 8º
471882Sweetbriar, or doings in Priorsthorp Magna.LondonSeeley, Jackson & Hallidayiv, 404 p., 8º
481882The world's foundations, or Geology for beginnersLondonSeeley, Jackson, and Hallidayxi, 313 p., 16 ill. (8 col.), 20 cm[note 26]
491882Trying to enterLondonSeeley, Jackson & Halliday149 p., 8º
501882Twilight Talks, or easy lessons on things around usLondonReligious Tract Society156 p., 8º[note 27]
511883Daily Evening Rest, or Thoughts of Peace about the MasterLondonNisbet & Coviii, 243 p., 8º
521883Five little birdies. Illustrated with black-and-white drawings by Robert Barnes.LondonThe Religious Tract Society95 p., ill., 17 x 22 cm[note 28]
531883Kathleen, the story of a homeLondonNisbet & Coviii. 324 p., 8º
541883Next-door NeighboursLondonReligious Tract Society128 p., 8º
551883The Nameless Shadow.London'Home Words' Office378 p., 8º
561884Among the Stars, or wonderful things in the skyLondonSeeley & Coviii, 310 p., 8º[note 29]
571884Beryl and PearlLondonNisbet & Coviii, 343 p., 8º
581884Old Umbrellas, or Clarrie and her MotherLondonNisbet & Co147 p., 8º
591885Daisy of the "old meadow"LondonNisbet & Cox, 139, 28 p., 19 cm
601885GwendolineLondonReligious Tract Society256 p., 8º
611885St. Austin's Lodge, or Mr. Berkeley and his nieces [a tale]LondonNisbet & Covii, 375 p., 8º
621885Tim Teddington's dream, or "Liberty, equality, and fraternity"London'Home Words' Office42p.
631886Enid's silver bondLondonNisbet & Covi, 375 p., 5 ill., 19 cm
641886Five Thousand PoundsLondonNisbet & Co144 p., 8º[note 30]
651886Profit and loss, or Life's ledgerLondonReligious Tract Society218,4p.,1plate, 19cm
661887Father Aldur. A water story, etcLondonSeeley & Covi, 333 p., 8º
671887His adopted daughter, or A quiet valleyLondonJohn F. Shaw and Co346 p., 4 of plates (inc. front.) : ill., 21 cm
681887Miss Con, or All those girlsLondonNisbet & Coviii, 341 p. : front., ill., plates, 19 cm[note 31]
691888Ralph Hardcastle's WillLondonHatchardsvi, 356 p., 8º
701888Ready, aye Ready!LondonNisbet & Coviii, 194 p., 8º
711888The Earls of the VillageLondonJ. F. Shaw & Co256 p., 8º
721888Twilight VersesLondonNisbet & Coiv. 72 p., 8º
731889Number Three Winifred PlaceLondonNisbet & Coviii, 264 p., 8º
741889Stories jolly, stories new, stories strange & stories true, a series of new and original tales for boys and girls from six to fourteen years oldLondonSkeffington & Sonviii, 265, 3 p., plates : ill., 19cm[note 32]
751890'Least said, soonest mended'LondonJames Nisbet & Co260 p. , 4 p. of plates : ill, 20 cm
761890Nigel BrowningLondonLongmans & Coviii, 435 p., 8º
771890The ocean of air, meteorology for beginnersLondonSeeley and Coxiv, 2, 340 p., 16 ill., 20 cm
781891Miss Devereux, Spinster, a study in developmentLondonLongmans & Co2 volumes, 8º[note 33]
791891The DalrymplesLondonNisbet & Covi. 279 p., 8º
801891Tim Teddington's Shoes, or who was the worst off? A second dreamLondon'Home Words' Office80 p., 8º
811891Won at last, or Mrs. Briscow's nephewsLondonJohn F. Shaw and Covi, 7-256 p. : ill., 20 cm
821892A case of poisoningLondonSPCK30 p., 21 cm[note 34]
831892Beside the waters of comfort, thoughts from many mindsLondonSeeley & Co389 p., 18 cm
841892Great unwashed JimmyLondonSPCK E. & J.B. Young & Co32 p., 22 cm[note 34]
851893A pretty kettle of fishLondonS.P.C.K31 p., 21 cm[note 34]
861893Ida's Secret, or the Towers of IckledaleLondonJ. F. Shaw & Co220 p., 8º
871893Life in a Nutshell, a storyLondonJ. F. Shaw & Covi, 222 p., 8º
881893On the horns of a dilemmaLondonSPCK32 p., 21 cm[note 34]
891893The dread cryLondonSPCK32 p., 21 cm[note 34]
901894By hook or by crook, a story of waterLondonSPCK32p., 22cm[note 34]
911894Miles MurchisonLondonNisbet & Covi, 184 p., 8º
921894The Andersons, brother and sisterLondonNisbet & Co300 p., 4 ill., 20 cm
931894The starry skies, first lessons on the sun, moon and starsLondonSeeley & Coviii, 242, 6 p. : ill., 18 cm[note 35]
941895A lady of England, the life and letters of Charlotte Maria TuckerLondonHodder & Stoughtonxii, 519p : ill, 21cm[note 3]
951895Radiant suns, a sequel to "Sun, moon and stars"LondonSeeley & Co.xiv, 2, 328, 8 p., 18 ill. (some col.), 20 cm[note 36]
961895This Wonderful UniverseLondonSeeley & Co128 p., 8º[note 37]
971896Life-Tangles, or the Journal of Rhoda FrithLondonJ. F. Shaw & Co288 p., 8º
981896Little eyebright, and her pund o' careLondonJ. F. Shaw & Co160, 16 p. : ill., 19 cm
991896Marigold's Decision, etcLondonNisbet & Co128 p., 8º
1001896Miss PrimroseLondonJ. F. Shaw & Co160 p., 8º
1011896Old ComradesLondonJ. F. Shaw & Co218 p., 8º
1021896The Girl at the Dower House and afterward, etcLondonW. & R. Chambers374 p., 8º[note 38]
1031897Little Miss LustringLondonMarshall, Russell & Co109 p., (12º)[note 39]
1041898A modern Puck, a fairy story for childrenLondonJarrold278, 10 p. : 50 ill., 20 cm[note 40]
1051898Everybody's businessLondonJohn F. Shaw and Coviii, 308, 32 p., 5 ill., 20 cm
1061898Monsters of Olden Times, with an account of the early history of the earth, etcMadrasChristian Literature Society for India, Madras44 p., 8º[note 41]
1071899Easy Lessons on things around usLondonReligious Tract Society156 p., 8º
1081901Anthony Cragg's TenantLondonReligious Tract Society256 p., 8º
1091901Roy. A tale in the days of Sir John MooreLondonC. Arthur Pearsonx, 328 p., 8º[note 42]
1101902A knight of honour, historical and other storiesLondon1 Vol, 8vo.[note 43]
1111902The Mighty Deep and what we know of itLondonC. Arthur Pearsonxii, 290 p., 8º[note 44]
1121902The Rack of this Tough WorldLondonHutchinson & Covii. 335 p., 8º[note 45]
1131903Stories of the Abbey PrecinctLondonReligious Tract Society313, 2 p., 3 ill., 20 cm
1141903Sun, moon and stars, astronomy for beginnersLondonSeeley & Co2, xvi, 329 p., 16 ill. (some col.), 20 cm
1151905The Pride o' the MorningLondonS. C. Brown, Langham & Covii. 312 p., 8º
1161906RowenaLondonT. Werner Laurieviii. 307 p., 8º
1171907Little 'Why-Because'LondonReligious Tract Society180 p., 8º
1181909Under Puritan rule, a tale of troublous daysLondonNational Society's Depository298, 6 p., 5 ill., 21 cm[note 46]
1191911Polly, the Postmaster's DaughterLondonReligious Tract Society48 p., 8º[note 47]
1201911Val and his friendsLondonSociety for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Partsviii, 190 p., 16 17 ill., 20 cm
1211912Glimpses of Christ ... With a preface by Arthur W. RobinsonLondonSkeffington & Sonxi, 140 p., 8º
1221913Life's Little StageLondonReligious Tract Society320 p., 8º
1231913This Wonder-WorldLondonReligious Tract Societyxii, 195 p., 8º
1241913Two little girls and Aunt Bessie[LondonReligious Tract Society31, 1 p.; ill.; 19 cm[note 48]
1251914The Doings of DorisLondonReligious Tract Society368 p., 2 2 col. ill., 20 cm
1261920This Wonderful UniverseLondonSPCKx, 182 p., 8º[note 49]
1271921The garden of earth, a little book on plant-life, plant growth, and the ways and uses of plantsLondonSPCKxiv, 178 p : col. front., illus, 19 cm[note 50]
1281928Jock with Mousie, etcLondonReligious Tract Society192 p., 8º
1291929Capitalism and the Common Good. By H. J. Marshall and Agnes GiberneLondonLondon Ratepayers Union48 p., 8º[note 51]
1301930Please Tell Me Another Tale, A Collection Of Short Original Stories for Children.LondonSkeffington & Son220 p., fs., ill., 18 cm[note 52]

See also

Notes

  1. One of his sisters was the artist and notable convert to Roman Catholicism Maria Rosina Giberne (1802−1885)
  2. Clerical poverty was a serious problem in the Victorian Era. About one-quarter of the clergy were considered to be comfortably off, with at least £500 per annum in 1830. The desirable minimum income for a clergyman was thought to be £400.[23]. Jervis reported that in 1854 that 6,750 parochial benefices were worth less than £300.[24] This is why the list of charities prepared by the editor of the Ecclesiastical Gazette in 1859 shows some 59 central, and 153 Diocesan charities for the assistance of the Clergy.[25]
  3. This was the standard biography on Tucker, who used the pseudonym "A Lady of England" (A.L.O.E.) for her children's fiction. The daughter of a chairman of the East India Company, she was devoutly religious, but was constrained from engaging in mission-work in London by her parents. However, at fifty-four, being independent both financially and otherwise, she sailed for India where she settled in the Punjab and began visiting zenanas of both Hindu and Muslim families to familiarise the women there with Christian doctrine, without any great success.[28]
  4. The society was set up for those who were interested in astronomy, but precluded from one reason or another (e.g. being female) from joining the Royal Astronomical Society.[30]
  5. The Jisc Library Hub Discover brings together the catalogues of 168 major UK and Irish libraries. Additional libraries are being added all the time, and the catalogue collates national, university, and research libraries.[60][61]
  6. A brief account of the empires of Assyria, Persia, Greece under Philip of Macedon and Alexander, and Rome. Translated into Tamil by W. T. Satthianadhan as Pūrvīkattiluḷḷa nān̲ku irācciyaṅkaḷin̲ curukkac carittiram. Although the British Library gives the date of the publication as 1860, when Giberne was 15, this seems unlikely as she states in here Who's Who entry that she began writing for publication when she was 17.[18] Satthianadhan was a Hindu convert to Christianity who became an Anglican priest. His son Samuel Satthianadhan was a writer, educator, and social reformer. Giberne's cousin Caroline Cuffley Giberne (1803-1885) was the mentor for Satthianadhan's wife Anna, and also corresponded with Satthianadhan.[62]
  7. No author name given on book.[63] In this book, Thiel noted that "readers learn not only of childish pastimes but also of contemporary attitudes toward India and China and toward the American novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published twelve years previously."[64]
  8. Published in October 1864 with the author as A. G.[65]
  9. The author was given as A. G.[66]
  10. The author was given as A. G.[67]
  11. No author given on book.[68]
  12. The author was given as A. G. and as the author of Maude Grenville.[69]
  13. The author was given as A. G. and the author of Among the Mountains, Mabel and Cora, etc.[70]
  14. The author was given as A. G. with no reference to previous titles.[71]
  15. No author name given on book.[72]
  16. The author was given as A. G. and the author of Among the Mountains, Mabel and Cora, Beechenhurst, etc.[73]
  17. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states that this was the first book published under Giberne's name.[5]
  18. No author name given, but described as by the author of Willie and Lucy at the Sea-Side, and Hungering and Thirsting etc.[74]
  19. Author given as Agnes Giberne.[26] Giberne write a second book about the thoses detained at the time of Napoleon in Roy: a Tale in the days of Sir John Moore in 1900.[27]:141
  20. A novel based on the 1871 persecution of the Huguenots in the reign of Louis XIV. The flight of many to England, and the struggle for religious freedom there under James II.[27]:267
  21. A historical novel set at Couling Castle near Cobham in Kent. This is a picture of castle life in the time of Henry IV and Henry V, and a love-tale.[27]:31
  22. With other authors
  23. Not a book but a Christmas Story in A Day of Days.
  24. The first of Gibnernes works that popularised science. The Pall Mall Gazette stated that "The style of the book is well fitted to excite attention; it must be a dull boy or girl who will not find it attractive, and it is satisfactory to know that the author can not only write pleasantly, but that her book, in the judgment of a distinguished astronomer, is 'free from any considerable inaccuracy or any unpardonable exaggeration.'"[31]
  25. Subtitled as "A treatise on the Israelitish priesthood as typical of the Christian priesthood."
  26. 'The Graphic said the book was "a geological work for beginners, written in a plain, straightforward style, which has much to recommend it, while the text is still further elucidated by numerous illustrations."[75]
  27. Described by the Fifeshire Journal as a little volume for children on scientific subjects.[42]
  28. Not a nature study, but the story of five orphan children.[76] Illustrated by Robert Barnes.[77]
  29. Covers similar ground to Sun, Moon, and Stars but for younger children.
  30. The London Correspondent of the Dunedin Evening Star considered that this was "a very suitable book to give a servant-girl."[78]
  31. Illustrated by her cousin, the artist Edgar Giberne.
  32. Included the story Jackie's New Dodge by Giberne. This was one of a series of children's anthologies by Skeffington.[79]:507
  33. Sutherland describes this book as ending with banns, frocks, and veils.[20]:245
  34. Penny booklets for the people, one of six in a set by Giberne
  35. Seeley's first lesson books.
  36. More advanced than Sun, Moon, and Stars, this book covers the history of astronomy, the relatively new science of spectral analysis, and the broader universe.[40]
  37. Later completely rewritten for a 1920 edition.
  38. Sutherland describes this book as "a glum story of crossed love".[20]:245
  39. A volume in the publisher's Idyll library.
  40. An exploration of natural history very cleverly wrapped up in a fairy story.
  41. This was in the Society's "One Anna Library". This was "an account of the early history of the earth, and introduces the reader to such monsters as the mammoth, mastodon, iguanodon, hadrosaurus and other extinct animals."[80]
  42. Giberne's second story (the first was the 1871 Detained in France) about the thousands of English travellers whom Napoleon detained on the outbreak of war and kept for years as prisoners. Sir John Moore's famous retreat to Corunna, and his victory there, is featured.[27]:141
  43. With David Ker, Lossing G. Brown, and others
  44. The Globe said the book was ". . . unquestionably readable and at the same time eminently instructive."[81]
  45. Kemp describes this book as "a commonplace thriller focused on a family taint which is redeemed by self-sacrifice"[17]
  46. A Historical Novel with ten episodes based on one set of characters, illustrating the persecution of Anglican clergymen under the Long Parliament and Cromwell, when 8,000 or so were expelled from their livings. Historically accurate, and many of the main characters were real people.[27]:76
  47. [Sandringham Series of Penny Stories. no. 19.]
  48. Nation Story Readers Grade I, No. 2
  49. New illustrated edition, completely revised and rewritten version of the original of 1897,[82] and not, as the reviewer in the Aberdeen Press and Journal stated,[83] a revised edition of Sun Moon and Stars.
  50. A primer on botany and the natural world. "This work, with its many fine diagrams, will be sure to be popular, treating, as it does, with the world plant life, the family relationships, the work of roots and stems, the power of sunlight, and the wonderful work of flowers, winds, and insects."[57]
  51. With H. J. Marshall
  52. This anthology of children's stories included one by Giberne.[79]:493

References

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  6. "Miss Agnes Giberne: A Pioneer of Popular Science". The Times (Tuesday 22 August 1939): 12. 22 August 1939. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
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  45. "Holiday Gift Books". London Evening Standard (Tuesday 28 December 1886): 6. 28 December 1886. Retrieved 18 October 2020 via The British Newspaper Archive.
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