According to Wikipedia, Ms Henry (1902 – 1997) wrote fifty-nine books "based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for one of her books about horses and she was a runner-up for two others."
My friend Maria Clark recently posted a picture of wild horses on the Outer Banks beach which brought back memories of one of my favorite childhood books, Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. Do you remember this book with the same fondness I do? According to Wikipedia, Ms Henry (1902 – 1997) wrote fifty-nine books "based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for one of her books about horses and she was a runner-up for two others." She followed up Misty's story,based on the ponies that annually swim from Assateague Island off Virginia to Chincotegue Island where they are auctioned, with two sequels, Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague, and Below, a picture of Marguerite Henry with Misty, probably at her farm in Wayne, Illinois, where she lived, wrote, and hosted parties for children who loved Misty and all her books. One of the reasons for her success, in addition to the excellence of her writing and appeal to children of all ages, was her partnership with artist Wesley Dennis (1903-1966). His brilliant illustrations for Henry's books, as well as more than a hundred others, were the source of many hours of dreaming for kids like me, hopelessly horse-crazy. Above, they hold King of the Wind, winner of the prestigious Newbery medal in 1959. Below, the cover which captured my adoration of King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian. Any lover of horses, thoroughbred racing and/or Britain should not miss it. Perhaps my favorite of their sixteen joint ventures was Album of Horses, first published in 1951. Both King of the Wind and Album of Horses remain on my bookshelves today, as do several others of their works. Album of Horses is the easiest to read and most beautiful of the research books you will ever encounter. Henry describes the origin of many breeds of horses and Dennis illustrates each one in his brilliant style. Below, a few of the illustrations; please click on each to expand. Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis collaborated on many other books, all of which placed high on my Christmas list, and Santa always obliged. Here are a few. What other books from your childhood do you remember? can think of many more, and lots included horses.
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Here we are in April 2020 in the middle of a global pandemic...and what am I doing?? Why, starting a new adventure in publishing. I've found some stellar aides in my quest to get the rest of my work out as e-books and well marketed. What better time for escaping today's concerns and finding yourself back in the elegant days of Regency England? Please click for full images. Above An Ideal Match and The Fontainebleau Fan, two of my six books already available on Amazon and Kindle, all formerly published in paperback by Kensington Zebra Regency Romances. In the coming months, I will be presenting two more of my former Kensington novels in e-book format, Ask Jane and Least Likely Lovers. Below are the original covers. They will have new covers since the previous ones actually belong to the publisher and/or the artist. I have a wonderful new cover artist and I am thrilled with the new versions, which I will REVEAL soon. I published three novellas with Kensington Zebra in anthologies. "The Tables Turned" appears in My Favorite Rogue; "The Valentine Poem" is part of My Only Valentine; and "The Muddled Matchmakers" is in A Match for Papa. All five of these works will get new covers for their introduction on Amazon, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited. And that's not all. I've also published novellas and short stories on line with several publishers and all of these will eventually be available in e-book format. In 2015, I was one of a group of authors who wrote stories to honor the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. "Folie Bleu" is the story of Aimée and her Robert, who fell in love in Brussels on the eve of the Battle. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary dinner at the home of the Duke of Wellington, Aimée recalls their desperate romance. Above, the 2008 Christmas Anthology from Dreamstone Publishing, Christmas Ever After. My contribution is "Miss Hadley's Holly." In Summer 2019, Dreamstone published Regency Summer Escape containing my novella "Sarah's Summer Surprise.' There will be more to come, so please go to Welcome, above left, and sign up for my newsletter to keep up with the news. You will receive a free copy of my award-winning short story "The Boxford Legacy." I hope you will enjoy it.
Below, Evelyn Fitzmaurice, Duchess of Devonshire (1870-1960), painted in Hardwick Hall, 1950, by Edward Irvine Halliday (1902–1984). Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire, is shown working on one of the tapestries. She is attributed with preserving the Hardwick Collection, which is one of the finest in Britain, now cared for by the National Trust. Below, Lady Evelyn Cavendish portrayed by John Singer Sargent in 1902 before her husband Victor Cavendish inherited the ducal title from his uncle Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonsire, in 1908. Widowed in 1938, Evelyn lived for many years at Hardwick Hall after her son, Edward, eldest of her seven children, inherited the dukdom as the 10th Duke of Devonshire. Below, left, Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire, and Duchess Evelyn. Right, Queen Mary, seated, and Evelyn, center rear, Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary. Click to enlarge. Lady Evelyn Emily Mary Petty-Fitzmaurice was born in 1870, daughter of the Marquess of Lansdowne. She married Victor Cavendish in 1892 when he was a newly-seated member of the House of Commons. Both members of distinguished British families, they led busy lives of service, bringing seven children into the world as well. Victor succeeded to the dukedom in 1909. Below left, Duchess Evelyn with three of her children, before 1909; right, Duchess Evelyn with her grandchildren, 1929. The 9th Duke of Devonshire, below left, was Governor General of Canada from 1916 to 1921 and his family accompanied him. He was a member of the Cabinet before retiring in 1925, after a severe stroke; He died in 1938. Right, Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire, Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary, 1908. In addition to many other activites, Duchess Evelyn founded the Derbyshire branch of the Red Cross. She served as Queen Mary's Mistress of the Robes from 1910 to 1916 and after her stay in Canada, from 1921 to Queen Marys death in 1953. After her husbands death, the Dowager Duchess moved into Hardwick Hall, becoming the last resident of Bess of Hardwick's mansion. She was an accomplished needlewoman and spent a great deal of time mending and repairing the textiles as Hardwick. Her son, the 10th Duke, served in WWI and was a member of Churchill's Cabinet during WWII. He and his wife had five children. William, eldest son and heir appparent, married Katherine "Kick" Kennedy in 1944. Her brother John F, Kennedy was elected president of the United States in 1960. Below, left to right, Deborah Mitford Cavendish (eventually Duchess of Devonshire), Duchess Evelyn, Kick Kennedy. Only a few months after the wedding, William was killed in action in September 1944. His brother Andrew became the heir and in 1950. the 11th Duke of Devonshire. As part of the more than £7 million (nearly 80 per cent of the value of the estate) inheritance taxes he had to pay, Hardwick Hall became the government's property, eventually part of the National Trust which operates the estate today. Duchess Evelyn occupied rooms in Hardwick Hall from 1938 to her death in 1960. In the past few years, they have been opened to visitors, displaying even more of her treasured textiles from the Hardwick Collection.
From the website: "Hardwick is internationally renowned for its collections, most notably its textiles, largely sourced and collected by Bess of Hardwick in the later years of the sixteenth century. Four years after Bess moved into Hardwick she compiled a list of all the objects in the house, giving a unique insight into the furnishings of an Elizabethan house." Below, Bess of Hardwick, c. 1567. Below, the recently conserved 'Lucretia,' one of four Noble Women embroideries mmade for and at Hardwick. Perhaps history honors Lucretia as the inspiration for the transition from monarchy to the Roman Republic, but it took her rape and subsequent suicide to accomplish the feat. Sort of a difficult inspiration IMHO, but meaningful to history (they say). She is an important character in the writings of Livy, Ovid, Dante, and Chaucer, among others. Below left, a photograph of rehanging the embroidery at Hardwick Hall, from the National Trust. Right, NT's photo of another of the Noble Women, 'Penelope', from The Odyssey, the faithful wife of Odysseus, a symbol of fidelity. More from the website: "By the mid-1590s when Hardwick was taking shape, Bess had already furnished her great house at Chatsworth but could only bring a small proportion of the contents with her when she moved back to Hardwick, so in the winter of 1592-3 Bess went on a shopping spree while in London. Amongst her purchases were the Gideon set of tapestries purchased from the estate of Sir Christopher Hatton for the huge sum of £326 15s 9d (from which £5 was deducted because Bess had to change the Hatton coat of arms to her own). Below, one of the thirteen Gideon tapestries telling the story from the Old Testament Bookof Judges. In the Long Gallery, many of the tapestries are seen behind the portrait collection. Of the more than one hundred textiles at Hardwick Hall, my favorite also recently conserved, is the Birds with Foliage beside one of the staircases. Perhaps this is because the conservators have restored the brilliant colors of the original piece, which they discover during the process of restoration. Within the very tight stitches of the tapestry, the colors are still vivid. In the Great High Chamber, Bess hung her purchase of the Ulysses tapestries, telling the story from Homer's The Oddyssey. Bess also purchased a smaller set of tapestries that now hang in the Drawing Room and a set of tapestries that hang in the Green Velvet Bedroom, as below. I wish I had more carefully noted the names of all the tapestries, but perhaps I had fallen under their spell and just gazed in appreciation. Ah, what more does one have to say than, The Lovers, below. Next time, the last resident of Hardwick Hall, Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire, who lived from 1890 to 1960.
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Victoria Hinshaw, Author
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