1890 Rare Book - The Fakenham Ghost by Robert Bloomfield Illustrated by Wimbush
Author: Robert Bloomfield. Illustrated by J. L. Wimbush.
Title: The Fakenham Ghost.
Publisher: London, Wells Gardner, Darton, and Co., [c.1890s]. First Illustrated Edition by J. L. Wimbush.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6.5" x 5.5".
Pages: 39 pages.
Binding: Good original pale grey cloth pictorially stamped in gilt and maroon on the upper board, with black publisher’s device to rear cover and ruled borders front and back (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 or staining - as shown, names and bookplate of previous owners on the first endpaper - as shown).
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout with dramatic and atmospheric full-page monochrome plates by J. L. Wimbush, printed on the verso with facing rhymed ballad text. The images exhibit a moody chiaroscuro style well-suited to the eerie rural narrative. All illustrations are present and in very good condition.
The book: The Fakenham Ghost is a delightfully eerie narrative poem penned by rural poet Robert Bloomfield, based on a local Norfolk legend of a spectral encounter. Though brief, the ballad is infused with suspense and dark countryside charm, delivered in rhymed verse. This late 19th-century illustrated edition offers a striking visual accompaniment to the ghostly tale through the work of J. L. Wimbush, whose painterly illustrations amplify the gothic atmosphere. The tale’s moral twist and rustic setting give it a folkloric resonance that appealed to Victorian readers and collectors of ghost stories alike.
The author: Robert Bloomfield (1766–1823) was a self-taught English poet who rose from humble origins as a shoemaker to national fame with the publication of The Farmer’s Boy (1800). Praised for his depictions of country life, Bloomfield became one of the most popular poets of his day. The Fakenham Ghost reflects his flair for rural narrative and humor, rooted in oral storytelling traditions and regional color.
The illustrator: James L. Wimbush (fl. late 19th–early 20th century) was a British landscape painter and illustrator known for his evocative depictions of natural and pastoral scenes. In this edition of The Fakenham Ghost, Wimbush’s illustrative plates show a keen eye for mood, texture, and the interplay of shadow and light—perfectly matching the poem’s blend of suspense, superstition, and rustic wit.