Mary Ropes (1842–1932)

Good library bookplate - `Friends' Lending Library, Shipston-on-Stour, All subscribers of one penny a month or threepence a quarter are entitled to borrow one volume at a time. The books may be changed weekly. Subscriptions must be paid in advance. No book is to be kept longer than fourteen days without being returned to the library and re-issued. On every book so kept a fine of one halfpenny shall be paid for each week or part of a week beyond the time allowed. The fiens to be used for buying new books. All persons borrowing books shall keep them clean and shall pay for books lost or damaged'. This was sole reason for purchase.… (meer)

This book is one of the Children's Victorian Classics. What this means, I don't know, because surprisingly enough, there is no advertisement in the book listing the other "classics". I have a suspicion that the series is not comprised of true classics that have continued to be published through the decades, but rather tales of strong moral character that certain Christian groups have decided to resurrect. Anyway, I'm not inclined to find out. Mary Jones & Her Bible isn't a horrible story, but it's nothing better than waiting room material. It's the tale of a girl who was born and raised in Wales around the turn of the 19th Century. She was a pious girl, of pious stock, who developed an intense desire to own her own Bible. The story details her nascent interest in scripture, then goes through her endeavors to save up enough money and purchase her own Bible. There are a couple of interesting folks involved in this story, but it's one of those tales where the good guys are all perfect and the bad guys... well, there aren't really any bad guys in here. I don't know if that's typical of "Victorian" literature, or it's just the style that appeals to this particular publisher. Whatever it is, it makes for a story that's morally uplifting, but a tad boring.
--J.… (meer)