THE BROKEN ARM; A National School Story. Part I [-II].

Two parts, 12mo, pp. 124, [1] imprint, [1] blank; 236, [1] advert, [1] blank; with engraved frontispiece and several engravings throughout the text in both parts; bound in the original blind stamped limp publisher's cloth, Part 1 in burgundy cloth, Part 2 in blue, both with title lettered in gilt to upper cloth, lightly sunned and some fraying to edges, otherwise a very good copy, both parts with the contemporary ownership signature of Emily Mitford Knight on front free endpaper.


Rare second edition (first 1847) of this work published both to enhance the reputation of National Schools and also to show the virtue of sending children there. The work revolves around Lucy, Henry and George, their education at the School and their life as they grow up, including adventures in India and China. In 1846 a government committee began to set out conditions for the management of National Schools, training, schools and inspectors, which at the time caused much controversy, the author, however, manages to avoid taking sides in her writing.

Jane Alice Sargant was born in 1789 in Isle of Ely, the daughter of surgeon John Smith and Eleanor Moore. She had numerous siblings, but was the closest to her elder brother Sir Harry Smith (1788–1860), the victor of Aliwal and governor of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1807, she married Daniel Sargant who died in 1826 and so his widow turned to teaching, running a school, and writing to support herself.She wrote at first mainly poetry and religious themed work, however she also wrote novel Ringstead Abbey (1830) followed several years later with juvenile fiction for the S.P.C.K. Sargant was a long-time resident of Hackney in north-east London where she died in 1869

Of this issue, OCLC records one copy of Part I, at Cambridge only, with only a handful of copies of the first edition of 1847 recorded.