William Schley-Ulrichby William Schley-Ulrich
First published in February/March, 2007, Volume 4, Issue 1, The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.
Lizzie borden’s library at Maplecroft, by all accounts, was large and full of diverse subject matter, including romance novels, poetry, travel, contemporary popular fiction, and works of classic literature. Her library was divided amongst her friends and employees, and her books are now mostly held in private hands. Here is the latest information regarding the books we know Lizzie owned.
As a small boy, my favorite stories were about Tom Swift and Tarzan of the Apes. The influence of these books was so great that I firmly resolved to become a famous inventor, like Tom, and a fearless African explorer to boot, when I became a grown-up.
Well, as it turned out, I did neither. I’ve never invented anything in my entire life, and the closest I’ve come to Africa was aboard a troop transport sailing through the Straits of Gibraltar during the last World War. I still believe, however, that the stories I read as a youth had a salutary effect on my life and also provided me with a never-ending zest for reading. My quest for adventure, in my mind if not in reality, still endures to this day.
The threads of our daily existence eventually form the fabric of our lives. Words have been responsible for the elevation and the downfall of mankind. The Victorians were avid readers and the rich ones were also book collectors of some importance. It was a mark of distinction among the wealthy Victorians to have a well-stocked library in their large homes. While Lizzie resided at 92 Second Street, she had no opportunity to accumulate a large collection. Her allowance was only four dollars a week. With books selling for about a dollar and a half each there were insufficient funds in her budget for such an extravagance. Sufficient space for a large library was also lacking. The books she possessed at Second Street were stored in her small room in a bookcase mounted atop a drop-leaf desk. It can accommodate, at best, about sixty books.
These obstacles all disappeared when Lizzie came into her inheritance and moved into Maplecroft. She was now in a financial position to purchase as many books as she wished and she had a place to put them. The library in her new home had an area approximately twelve feet long and five shelves high—sufficient storage space for several hundred volumes.
When Lizzie Borden died, she left behind a large collection of books. Dennis Binette, the assistant curator of the Fall River Historical Society, informed me of one collector who has over two hundred volumes that once belonged to Lizzie. The books contain her signature, bookplates or both. Another collector, with close ties to Miss Borden, is in possession of a similar number of her books. These, and other collectors, have chosen not to make public any details about the books they own. Their right to privacy must be respected
The works that follow document only a fraction of Lizzie’s collection. Did the books Lizzie read have an effect upon her life? I believe they did, and that’s why I wrote this article. Hopefully this information will provide the reader with some understanding of the true nature of that very private and mysterious person we call Miss Lizzie Borden.
Lizzie Borden Books at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast
Leslie Featherline donated the seven books listed below to the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum. Mr. Featherline’s great aunt was the second wife of Ernest Terry, chauffeur to Miss Lizzie Borden. Mr. Robert A. Flynn, well known Borden scholar and author, has authenticated this selection of books that once belonged to Lizzie Borden.
With Edged Tools, by Henry Seton Merriman. NY: Harper & Bros., 1894. There is a small label, ‘Chas. E. Lauriat Co.,’ on the bottom of the flyleaf page.
“He is in Loango?” inquired Oscard, with a premonitory sense of enjoyment in his voice.
“Yes.”
“Does he know that you have sent for me?”
“No,” replied Jocelyn.
Guy Oscard smiled.
“I think I will go and look for him,” he said.
At dusk that same evening there was a singular incident in the bar-room [sic] of the only hotel in Loango. Victor Durnovo was there, surrounded by a few friends of antecedents and blood similar to his own. They were having a convivial time of it, and the consumption of whisky was greater than might be deemed discreet in such a climate as that of Loango.
Durnovo was in the act of raising his glass to his lips when the open doorway was darkened, and Guy Oscard stood before him. The half-breed’s jaw dropped; the glass was set down again rather unsteadily on the zinc-covered counter.
“I want you,” said Oscard.
There was a little pause, an ominous silence, and Victor Durnovo slowly followed Oscard out of the room, leaving that ominous silence behind.
“I leave for Masala to-night,” said Oscard, when they were outside, “and you are coming with me” (p. 177).
Through the Postern Gate, by Florence L. Barcla. NY: G.P. Putnam, 1912. The book is inscribed in ink, “L.A.B.” on the flyleaf.
“But it was not your niece! It was always you I wanted,” said the Boy.
He lay back in a deep wicker chair under the old mulberry tree. He had taken the precaution of depositing his cup and saucer on the soft turf beneath his chair because he knew that, under stress of sudden emotion, china-especially the best china-had a way of flying off his knee. And there was no question as to the exquisite quality of the china on the dainty tea-table over which Miss Christobel Charteris presided. The Boy had watched her pouring the tea into those pretty rose-leaf cups, nearly every afternoon during the golden two weeks that had just ended. He knew every movement of those soft white hands, so soft, yet so strong and capable.
The Boy used to stand beside her, ready to hand Mollie’s cup, as punctiliously as if a dozen girls had been sitting in the old garden, waiting to be served by the only man (p. 3-4).
Lawns, and How to Make Them: Together with the Proper Keeping of Putting Greens, by Leonard Barron. NY: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1910. There is a small label on the bottom of the front flyleaf, “W. B. Clarke, Boston, Bookseller.”
Description: A treatise on lawn culture, including the proper maintenance of golf putting greens.
The Sowers, by Henry Seton Merriman. NY: Harper & Bros., 1895. There is a “Chas. E. Lauriat” label on the flyleaf.
“In this country charity covers no sins!”
The speaker finished his remark with a short laugh. He was a big, stout man; his name was Karl Steinmetz, and it is a name well known in the Government of Tver to this day. He spoke jerkily, as stout men do when they ride, and when he had laughed his good-natured, half-cynical laugh, he closed his lips beneath a huge gray mustache. So far as one could judge from the action of a square and deeply indented chin, his mouth was expressive at that time—and possibly at all times—of a humorous resignation. No reply was vouchsafed to him, and Karl Steinmetz bumped along on his little Cossack horse, which was stretched out at a gallop (p. 1).
Told in the Hills, by Marah Ellis Ryan. Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., 1891. Has an “Old Corner Book Store Boston,” label on the flyleaf page.
“The only one of the name who is not a gentleman,”; those words were repeated over and over by a young fellow who walked, one autumn evening, under the shade of old trees and along a street of aristocratic houses in old New Orleans.
He would have been handsome had it not been for the absolutely wicked expression on his face as he muttered to himself as he walked. He looked about twenty-five—dark and tall—so tall as to be noticeable among many men, so well proportioned and as confidently careless in movement as not to be ungainly—the confidence of strength.
Some negroes whom he passed turned to look after him, even the whites he met eyed him nervously. He looked like a man off a sleepless journey, his eyes were bloodshot; his face haggard, and over all was a malignant expression of a lurking devilishness (p. 9-10).
The Rosary ,** by Florence Barclay. NY: G.P. Putnam, 1910. The book is inscribed in ink, “L.A.B.” on the flyleaf.
Over the top of the grand piano, she could see him, leaning back in his chair; a slightly amused smile playing about his lips. He was evidently still enjoying the humour of Dr. Rob’s prohibition.
The Rosary has but one opening chord. She struck it; her eyes upon his face. She saw him sit up, instantly; a look of surprise, expectation, bewilderment, gathering there.
Then she began to sing. The deep rich voice, low and vibrant, as the softest tone of ‘cello, thrilled into the startled silence.
“The hours I spent with thee, dear heart,
Are as a string of pearls to me;
I count them over, ev’ry one apart,
My rosary,—my rosary.
Each hour a pearl—”
Jane got no further.
Garth had risen. He spoke no word; but he was coming blindly over to the piano. She turned on the music-stool, her arms held out to receive him. Now he had found the woodwork. His hand crashed down upon the bass. Now he had found her. He was on his knees, his arms around her. Hers enveloped him —, yearning, tender, hungry with the repressed longing of all those hard weeks.
He lifted his sightless face to hers, for one moment. “You?” he said. “YOU? You—all the time?” (p. 365).
The House of a Thousand Candles, ** by Meredith Nicholson. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1905. Has a small, round embossed green and gold seal, 20 mm. in diameter on the flyleaf. Seal contains a small maple leaf, and the lettering, “Maplecroft B.” There is also a small label on the bottom of the page, “Chas. E. Lauriat Co.”
“What do I think of it?” I repeated. “I don’t know that it makes any difference what I think, but I’ll tell you, if you want to know, that I call it infamous, outrageous, that a man should leave a ridiculous will of that sort behind him. All the old money-bags who pile up fortunes magnify the importance of their money. They imagine that every kindness, every ordinary courtesy shown them, is merely a bid for a slice of the cake. I’m disappointed in my grandfather. He was a splendid old man, though God knows he had his queer ways. I’ll bet a thousand dollars, if I have so much money in the world, that this scheme is yours, Pickering, and not his. It smacks of your ancient vindictiveness, and John Marshall Glenarm had none of that in his blood. That stipulation about my residence out there is fantastic. I don’t have to be a lawyer to know that; and no doubt I could break the will; I’ve a good notion to try it, anyhow” (p. 6-7).
** Note:. Lee-ann Wilber has advised me these books are no longer available at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast—whereabouts unknown.
Lizzie Borden Books Auctioned on eBay during June and August of 2006
Nancy Stair, by Elinor Macartney Lane. NY: Appleton & Co., NY, 1905. Auctioned on eBay 10 August 2006. The winning bid was $810. Has green and gold sticker “Maplecroft.” Also contained a typed quotation pasted in: “There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away,” from a poem by Emily Dickinson.
It was a small silver case, enclosing a smaller box covered in white velvet. Within the smaller box was a ruby ring.
“Is it for me, Dano?” she asked, almost in a whisper.
“For whom else would it be, little girl?” He smiled, and the delight he had in her pleasure was a beautiful and husband-like thing to see.
“But why?” she asked. “Can I take this from him, Jack Stair?” she said, turning to me suddenly.
“A woman can surely take a gift from her future husband with no impropriety,” I replied.
“That’s true,” she said, “but you see there is no betrothal between us, and at the year’s end I might have to send it back for some other woman to wear, which would go far towards bringing me to my grave. I am afraid I cannot take it yet, Dano.”
“Wear it,” he replied, “If you can’t wear it as my betrothed wife, wear it as a sign I love you. It is all I ask.”
At this she put her head down suddenly on her hands, bursting into a flood of tears.
“Oh!” she cried. “These things are furthermost out of my mind—I wish I was in heaven where there is no marriage!” (p. 175-176).
Bud, by Neil Monro. NY: Harper & Bros., 1907. Auctioned on eBay July 2006. The winning bid was $338.33. The book is inscribed in ink, “L.A.B.” on the flyleaf.
Description: A novel by the great Scottish writer Neil Munro. It is the story of an American girl, Bud, who has lost her parents and has come to stay with her relatives in a small town in Scotland (clearly based on [the town of] Inveraray). She progresses, thanks to her enlightened but only semi-liberated Aunt Ailie, to become a Shakespearean actress in London’s West End. This is accomplished in spite of the negativity of the Scottish education system and the background of social and religious attitudes which regard the theater as unsuitable and sinful. It is especially interesting because it confronts the problem of the female creative artist in a society whose mores inhibit the expression of talent. (Summary from eBay sale)
Right off the Chest, by Nellie Revell. NY: Geo. H. Doran Co., 1923. Auctioned on eBay July 2006. The winning bid was $811.22. Has green and gold sticker, “Maplecroft.”
This book is at once a testimony, and a proof of the power of that Great Healer, to whom I owe the many blessings that have been mine the last four years. To Him I owe the loves, the friendships, and the will to work that have, as a trinity, been my physical salvation. Medical attention of the best have I had since that day in 1919 when my spine gave away. To the eminent physicians who are bringing me back to normal, I feel gratitude beyond words . . .
Since my earliest childhood I have been interested in what to my way of thinking are the two greatest professions—“newspaper” and “ amusement,” both of which made a strong appeal to me as I approached womanhood. Journalism beckoned and a magnetic force drew me into the newspaper office, where I covered every kind of story from pink teas to murder trials . . .
For nearly four years I have been lying with nothing to look at but the ceiling but, Thank God I could still see that. I have learned many lessons in that time and one of them is that the greatest investment in the world is—friendship (Condensed from p. 21-26).
A Book of Inscriptions, by Ester Matson. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1914. Auctioned on eBay 29 June 2006. The winning bid was $519. The book is inscribed in ink, “L.A.B.” on the flyleaf.
Who has not at sometime wished for a word, a phrase a verse or two? Or perhaps merely for a name to fit a particular place or occasion? It may be the desire was to inscribe some sentiment over a chimney piece; it may be it was for a word or so to accompany some gift, or else to send with some missive of good speed to the friend who went a-traveling. Again, it may have been only the wish to give that final cachet of personality and sense of own-ness to one’s house and garden that goes with nomenclature (Foreword, ix).
Editor’s comment: It is interesting to note that Miss Matson included in her book such terms as Storycraft, The Maples, Maple Place, Cedarcroft and Boxcroft. The title, “Maplecroft” was chiseled into the top riser of Lizzie Borden’s stoop, sometime after 1914. This book was published in 1914. Is it possible Lizzie named her home after reading A Book of Inscriptions? I don’t believe it requires a great stretch of the imagination to embrace this concept.
Loveliness, by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1899. Auctioned on eBay 26 June 2006. The winning bid was $255. Contains written inscription: “Miss Borden and Miss L.A. Borden from the author.” The writing on line one is different in appearance and suggests the three lines may not have been written on the same occasion.
Description: A pampered Yorkshire terrier is lost and winds up at a university experimental laboratory in peril of his life. An early book on the horrors of vivisection, and the purchasing of stray dogs by laboratories for this purpose. To our obvious relief, the dog and the heroine are rescued at the last possible moment in this 1899 plea of the antivivisectionists.
Loveliness sat on an eider-down cushion embroidered with cherry-colored puppies on a pearl satin cover. The puppies had gold eyes. They were drinking a saucer of green milk. Loveliness wore a new necktie of cherry, a shade or two brighter than the puppies, and a pearl-gray, or one might call it a silver-gray jacket. He was sitting in the broad window sill, with his head tipped a little, thoughtfully, towards the left side, as the heads of nervous people are said to incline. He was dreamily watching the street, looking for any one of a few friends of his who might pass by, and for the letter-carrier, who was somewhat late (p. 21).
V. V.’s Eyes, by Henry Sydnor Harrison. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1913. Auctioned on eBay 26 June 2006. Winning bid was $135.29. The book is inscribed in ink, “L.A.B.” on the flyleaf.
V. Vivian, M.D. by the paint upon his window, dwelt in the Dabney House; Mr. Heth—pronounced Heath if you value his wife’s good opinion—dwelt in the House of his cognomen. Between the two lay a scant mile of city streets. But then this happened to be the particular mile which traversed, while of course it could not span, the Great Gulf fixed.
In one sense (though the wrong one) the Dabney House was the more impressive of the pair of domiciles: for it was seven stories tall and had two hundred rooms; while the House of Heth was only four stories and basement, and had but fourteen rooms, counting in the trunk-room. But physical size is size only: whereby hang few tales. Over and in the Heth House there prevailed the most charming air of ease with dignity, of taste plus means, that you could well imagine: while the circumambient atmosphere of the Dabney House, not to put too fine a point on it, was the abomination of desolation, or that abomination’s little brother (p. 1).
eBay Auctions 2001-2002
Astronomy with the Naked Eye; a new geography of the heavens, with descriptions and charts of constellations, stars, and planets, by Garrett P. Serviss. NY: Harper & Bros., 1908. Auctioned on eBay 6 January 2002. Winning bid was $860. Signed in pencil “L.A. Borden.” It is stated this book was acquired from the estate of the Hall Family in Portsmouth, R.I.
Twice Told Tales, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. NY: F. M. Lupton Publ. Co., 1890. Auctioned on eBay 2 April 2002. Winning bid unknown. Signed in pencil “L.A B.” It is stated this book was acquired from the estate of the Hall family, Portsmouth, R.I. It has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by George Quigley, president of The International Lizzie Borden Association.
Poems, by Gertrude Minturn Hazard & Anna Peace Hazard. Philadelphia: Collins Printer Publ., 1873.
Auctioned on eBay 26 January 2002. Winning bid unknown. Signed in pencil “L.A. Borden.” The book was purchased from a New England dealer. It has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by George Quigley, president of The International Lizzie Borden Association.
Daughters of the American Revolution and the Times, 1769-1776; a historical romance, by Charles Carlton Coffin. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co., 1896. Auctioned on eBay 15 December 2001. Item was not sold— reserve was not met. Signed in pencil “L.A. Borden.” It is stated the book was acquired from the Hall family in Portsmouth, R.I. It has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by George Quigley, president of The International Lizzie Borden Association.
The Great Leaders and National Issues of 1912, by L. T. Meyers. Philadelphia: J.C. Winston Co., 1912. Auctioned on eBay 3 March 2002. Winning bid unknown. Signed “L.A. Borden.” Not indicated as pen or pencil. It is stated the book was acquired from the Hall family in Portsmouth, R.I. It has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by George Quigley, president of The International Lizzie Borden Association.
Description: History of political parties, lives of former presidents, with a full presentation of the questions of the day, including the tariff, gold and silver, Cuba, Armenia, Venezuela, Monroe Doctrine, etc.
The Illustrious Life of William McKinley Our Martyred President, by Murat Halstead. Published by Murat Halstead, 1901. Auctioned on eBay 3 March 2002. Winning bid unknown. Signed “L.A. Borden.” Not indicated as pen or pencil. It is stated the book was acquired from the Hall family in Portsmouth, R.I. It has a Certificate of Authenticity signed by George Quigley, president of The International Lizzie Borden Association.
Description: “The true story of the assassination, in the shadow of death, passing away, funeral ceremonies; together with his ancestry, boyhood, student days, his career as soldier, lawyer, statesman, governor, and president, the principles for which he stood and the triumphs he achieved, and his home life. Anarchy, its history influences and dangers with a sketch of the assassin. Written by Halstead, who had the personal acquaintance, friendship and confidence of William McKinley.” (alibris.com)
Lizzie Borden Books Offered for Sale on the Internet
Germany and England, by J. A. Cramb. London: John Murray, 1914. This book is offered for sale 12 December 2006 on supernaught.com; a website specializing in crime memorabilia. The price is $1700. It concerns the enmity existing between Germany and England, prior to World War I. Signed in pencil “L.A. Borden.” Listed as from the estate of Ernest Terry, Miss Borden’s chauffeur.
Jessica’s Mother, by Hesba Stretton. Philadelphia: H. Altemus Co., 1898. This book was offered by abebooks.com. 28 November 2004. The price is $7000.
Statement by the seller: “This is a rare book inscribed and signed by Lizzie Borden: ‘Bessie Gibbs/for best lessons and Contributions during the last Quarter of 1902/with love from her teacher/Miss Lizzie Borden/Jan 11th, 1903.’ This is lightly penned on the first blank flyleaf and is completely legible. This book was presented by her to a student in her Sunday school class on Sunday, Jan. 11, 1903.”
Note: Dennis Binette (FRHS) sent the following letter: “In response to your inquiry regarding Lizzie Borden signatures on the flyleaves of volumes from her library, I would have to say that I have never seen any of them inscribed in lead. Her initials and signatures, as with her personal correspondence, is consistently written in ink, by what appears to be a fountain pen. Regarding the collections I have seen, I must admit I did not open and inspect every single volume, but those I did always followed this pattern. I do not recall the volumes you refer to when they were sold on eBay, but I have not seen them and did not see their listing when they were offered for sale so cannot speak of their validity. I do know that a few years ago, some volumes were brought into the Historical Society for me to examine the signature. The books were of the right period and were inscribed in pencil, but the hand-writing was definitely an inferior attempt at imitation, as I am sure you are aware Miss Borden’s graceful hand is very distinctive and consistent. The inscription in these volumes appeared to have been rubbed, smudging the lead somewhat in order to suggest the appearance of contact with many fingers over a period of time. But since the signature was obviously not hers, it would appear that the smudging was just a futile attempt to disguise the inferior inscription . . .in my exposure to Miss Borden’s initials and signature, I would have to say they are unequivocally always in ink.”
Lizzie Borden Books at the Fall River Historical Society
Italy from the Alps to Mount Elba, translated by Frances Eleanor Trollope and edited by Thomas Adolphus Trollope, Illustrated. NY: D. Appleton & Co., 1880.
Dennis Binette (FRHS) describes this volume: “The book came to the Historical Society’s collection through the descendants of someone who had spent time in the employ of Miss Borden. The travel book in our collection is quite an impressive clothbound volume, oversized, with decorative gilt stamped brown leather spine and corners. The title ‘Italy,’ appears on both cover and spine. Marbleized end papers in burgundy, pale blue and cream line the front and back. The top, side and bottom edges are gilded. The signature, ‘L.A. Borden,’ appears on the first right-facing page, written in ink. Aside from this, there are no other markings on the volume.”
Lizzie Borden Books in Private Collections
Ireland (north and west) its Scenery, Character and History, by Mr. & Mrs. S. C. Hall. Boston: A. W. Lovering, 1890. Illustrated with steel and wood engravings, with paintings by S. Walker. Includes photographs. This three-volume set was a gift to Emma Borden, signed and dedicated by her sister, Lizzie, and dated March 1894. (Communication from Leonard Rebello.)
Lizzie Books Mentioned as Owned by Her
The two volumes listed below have been mentioned in various references as books owned by Lizzie Borden. This assumption had its beginnings in a book written by Edmund Pearson in his More Studies in Murder. On page 121, “Legends of Lizzie,” Pearson wrote: “I think the best sellers of the nineties were exactly her meat: Alice of Old Vincennes, and When Knighthood was in Flower.” These books were best sellers in their day and it is entirely possible Lizzie read them. However, there is no record they ever existed in her library.
When Knighthood Was in Flower: Or, the Love Story of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, the King’s Sister, and Happening in the Reign of Henry VIII. Rewritten and rendered into modern English from Sir Edward Caskoden’s memoirs by Charles Major. Indianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Co., 1898.
Description: The love story of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, the king’s sister, and happening in the reign of His August Majesty, King Henry VIII. In 1922 it was made into a silent motion picture with Marion Davies and Forest Stanley. At that time, it was the most expensive motion picture ever made. Miss Davies’ lover, William Randolph Hearst, spent eight million dollars on this epic. It was a box office hit. In 1953 another version was produced, The Sword and the Rose, starring Glynis John and Richard Todd.
Alice of Old Vincennes, by Maurice Thompson. Indianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Co., 1900.
Description: “Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution Alice of Old Vincennes is the story of the orphan girl Alice Roussillon. In 1778 the French outpost of Vincennes, Indiana revolts against the British and swears allegiance to the American cause. Hoisting her hand-made American flag over the fort Alice provides the rallying symbol of the cause of liberty. The handsome Virginian Lt. Fitzhugh Beverly proves to be both a noble companion in arms as well as of the heart. When the British retake Vincennes the rallying cry Viva la banniere d’Alice Roussillon! is heard throughout the land. The true battle for liberty and love has begun” (alibris.com).
Thackeray Books
Dennis Binette (FRHS) has informed me of a collector in the Boston area who visited the Society with a set of books by William Makepeace Thackeray. The books were bound in blue-green cloth with gilt lettering. The collector wanted to compare the Lizzie Borden signature on the flyleaf of his books with the authenticated signatures in the Society’s archives.
Dickens, Scott, Twain, and Trollope
Grace Harley Howe, Lizzie’s second cousin and the wife of the man who was to become advisor and secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, inherited several sets of well-bound books from Lizzie Borden’s estate. Among them were volumes by Dickens, Scott and Trollope. Lizzie Borden, A Dance of Death, Agnes de Mille. Boston: Atlantic Little Brown, 1968, page 86.
In 1951, a news reporter visited Grace Harley Howe at her home on 141 Martha Street. “In her living room he saw a beautiful rug which once graced the drawing room floor of Maplecroft. On a shelf he saw books by Mark Twain, Kingsley and Thackeray that were once the property of Lizzie Borden.” “Cousin Grace Hartley Howe,” Judith Paula Curry, Lizzie Borden Quarterly, January 1997.
Emerson and Carlyle
“She was a great reader, and had a wonderful memory for books and writers by the hour. Lizzie read everything, Emerson and Carlyle, and all standard novels down to the popular stories of the day. Her father always had a good library.” Mrs. Charles J. Holmes and friends interviewed by the Boston Herald. Lizzie Borden, Past and Present, Leonard Rebello. Fall River: Al-Zach Press, 1999, page 10.
Tennyson and Longfellow
Lizzie would occasionally “allow a number of children to wander through her backyard [at Maplecroft] reciting the poetry of Tennyson and Longfellow. Lizzie would listen from an enclosed porch. If it was a cold day, she would invite them in. Some would be too afraid, but to the few who were brave she would offer cups of hot chocolate.” Lizzie, Frank Spiering. NY: Random House, 1984, page 219.
It is quite evident that Lizzie Borden was familiar with the works of Tennyson. In her burial instructions she requested the recitation of the following poem at her home in Maplecroft.
“Crossing the Bar”
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me.
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark:
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark!
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
