Nicola Beauman, Persephone Books and Mary Hallock Foote

Persephone's new website has just gone live, and is delightful for any book lover to browse. I was also reading about the founder Nicola Beauman, both here and here.

I was interested to read how they come across the books they publish. At Cup of Tea and Cake Jess was able to attend a talk given by Nicola Beauman, at The Suffolk Book League. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, was a favourite book of a customer's mother.

I must say I submitted an author which I very much enjoyed reading and will have to revisit. Mary Hallock Foote.


I was browsing through Ebay a few years ago looking for old poetry books, preferably with lovely illustrations and I came across Mabel Martin, by J. B. Whittier, Illustrated. So I bid on the book and won. More for the beautiful illustrations than the poetry. The book was in a tatty condition, but could not take away from the beauty of the illustrations.

Several years later I was looking through all the books Mary Hallock Foote had illustrated and of course Mabel Martin rang a bell. So I looked for it in my many book cases and yes here I had a book illustrated by her.

She led a very interesting life, traveling and living in many places out west. She grew up in the Hudson Valley and you always felt that she was a wanderer, estranged from her roots. Very often she kept the family afloat with her illustrations, which were published in books and magazines. She had a personal friend and agent who she would send them to back east.

Look her up and read her life story. I think you'll enjoy it.

Christy