1880 Rare Victorian Book - The Lamplighter by Maria Susanna Cummins

Author: Maria S. Cummins.
Title: The Lamplighter.
Publisher: London, James Nisbet & Co., 21 Berners Street, [c.1880s].
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5" x 5".
Pages: vi-415 pages + publisher’s ads.
Binding: Very good original Victorian publisher’s decorative brown cloth binding. Gilt title to spine and front board. Embossed illustration of the protagonist “Gerty” on the cover (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and staining - as shown, charming chromolithograph school prize plate dated 1896 awarded to "Lily Rice" is affixed to the front pastedown - as shown). 
Illustrations: Illustrated with 3 full-page black-and-white plates, including “Gerty on the Doorstep,” “Gerty Ill,” and “Gerty Saying Her Prayers.” Complete.

The book: Maria S. Cummins’ The Lamplighter was one of the most popular sentimental novels of 19th-century America, rivaling Uncle Tom’s Cabin in its era. First published in 1854, it tells the touching story of Gerty, a neglected orphan who finds salvation and spiritual uplift through kindness, perseverance, and Christian values. This late 19th-century British edition, handsomely produced by James Nisbet & Co., retains the emotional charm of the original while pairing it with evocative Victorian illustration. The presence of a period school prize plate dated 1896 further roots this copy in its historical moment, offering collectors a glimpse of its life in a young reader’s hands.

The author: Maria Susanna Cummins (1827–1866) was an American novelist best known for The Lamplighter, her debut work. Its massive success—it sold over 100,000 copies in its first year—established her as a prominent voice in domestic fiction. Her writing, steeped in moral instruction and sentimentality, resonated deeply with readers in the mid-19th century, especially young women.