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The mysterious freebooter, or, The days of Queen Bess : a romance 2007 [Leather Bound]
Leather Binding on Spine and Corners with Golden Leaf Printing on round Spine (extra customization on request like complete leather, Golden Screen printing in Front, Color Leather, Colored book etc.)
363 pages, Leather Bound
First published January 1, 1803
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About the author
Francis Lathom
81 books10 followersFrancis Lathom (1774-1832) was born in July 1774 at Rotterdam to Henry and Sarah Lathom. Henry Lathom was a Norwich merchant engaged in business with the East India Company in Holland. Around 1777, the family returned to the vicinity of Norwich, and in the 1790s Lathom began to pen plays for the Theatre Royal Norwich, including the comedies All in a Bustle (1795) and The Dash of the Day (1800), the latter of which was acted to “universal applause” and ran into at least four editions. In 1795, Lathom published his first novel, The Castle of Ollada, a Gothic romance indebted to Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho (1794) and Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764).
In 1797, Lathom married Diana Ganning, daughter of Daniel Ganning, a wealthy lawyer and landowner, with whom he had three children, Henry Daniel (b. 1799), Frederick (b. 1800), and Jessy Ann (b. 1803). The following year, he published what became his most famous novel, The Midnight Bell (1798), which was mentioned in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey (1818) and which was the only of Lathom’s novels reprinted in the 20th century. He followed this success with the satire Men and Manners (1799), described by critic Montague Summers as Lathom’s masterpiece and worthy of a young Dickens, and Mystery (1800), a curious mixture of the Gothic with epistolary domestic romance.
Around 1802 or 1803, under circumstances not yet known, Lathom left Norwich, perhaps for Scotland. Lathom’s father’s will provided him an annuity of £200 per year, provided that he relinquish custody of his children to Diana and have nothing more to do with them. Summers posited that Lathom’s removal from Norwich may have stemmed from a gay love affair, which, while not substantiated, may nonetheless be true.
Between 1802 and 1809, Lathom was extremely prolific, publishing the novels Astonishment!!! (1802), The Impenetrable Secret, Find it Out! (1805), The Mysterious Freebooter (1806), Human Beings (1807), The Fatal Vow (1807), The Unknown (1808), London, or, Truth Without Treason (1809), and The Romance of the Hebrides, or, Wonders Never Cease (1809). After 1809, he disappeared from the publishing scene and apparently travelled to America, where he visited New York and lived for a time in Philadelphia.
In 1820, Lathom returned to publishing, releasing Italian Mysteries and the collection The One-Pound Note and Other Tales. He continued to write throughout the remainder of the decade; these later works include Live and Learn (1823), in which the friendship between the two male characters was felt by Summers to be “clearly” queer in nature, as well as two additional collections of short stories and the novels Young John Bull (1828) and Mystic Events (1830). Lathom is said to have died in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1832.
-Valancourt Books
In 1797, Lathom married Diana Ganning, daughter of Daniel Ganning, a wealthy lawyer and landowner, with whom he had three children, Henry Daniel (b. 1799), Frederick (b. 1800), and Jessy Ann (b. 1803). The following year, he published what became his most famous novel, The Midnight Bell (1798), which was mentioned in Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey (1818) and which was the only of Lathom’s novels reprinted in the 20th century. He followed this success with the satire Men and Manners (1799), described by critic Montague Summers as Lathom’s masterpiece and worthy of a young Dickens, and Mystery (1800), a curious mixture of the Gothic with epistolary domestic romance.
Around 1802 or 1803, under circumstances not yet known, Lathom left Norwich, perhaps for Scotland. Lathom’s father’s will provided him an annuity of £200 per year, provided that he relinquish custody of his children to Diana and have nothing more to do with them. Summers posited that Lathom’s removal from Norwich may have stemmed from a gay love affair, which, while not substantiated, may nonetheless be true.
Between 1802 and 1809, Lathom was extremely prolific, publishing the novels Astonishment!!! (1802), The Impenetrable Secret, Find it Out! (1805), The Mysterious Freebooter (1806), Human Beings (1807), The Fatal Vow (1807), The Unknown (1808), London, or, Truth Without Treason (1809), and The Romance of the Hebrides, or, Wonders Never Cease (1809). After 1809, he disappeared from the publishing scene and apparently travelled to America, where he visited New York and lived for a time in Philadelphia.
In 1820, Lathom returned to publishing, releasing Italian Mysteries and the collection The One-Pound Note and Other Tales. He continued to write throughout the remainder of the decade; these later works include Live and Learn (1823), in which the friendship between the two male characters was felt by Summers to be “clearly” queer in nature, as well as two additional collections of short stories and the novels Young John Bull (1828) and Mystic Events (1830). Lathom is said to have died in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland in 1832.
-Valancourt Books
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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August 2, 2011A very good story, though it sometimes felt bogged down by explanations. Keeps you guessing until the end!
April 13, 2023
*Published in 1806*
I read this for my chronological reading project, a book for each year of the 19th century.
~ The Mysterious Freebooter by Francis Lathom ~
I was immediately hooked by Francis Lathom’s writing. He certainly knew how catch the reader’s interest and it’s no wonder he was so popular back then.
The first couple of chapters set the scene nicely and I got invested in the characters pretty quickly. I was surprised that a man of this era wrote this kind of female main character. Rosalind is intelligent, rational and has strong morals. Unlike many female characters in gothic fiction, she is neither sentimental, naïve nor prone to superstition or beliefs in the supernatural. She doesn't randomly faint, chooses wisely whom she gives her heart and affection, she is quick-witted when needed and kind to her inferiors. I also loved how Lathom managed to give her female attendant Gertrude a voice and not a belittling portrayal of a servant. She is just a side character but I really liked the relationship of her and Rosalind. Edward is Rosalind’s equal in intelligence, virtue and kindness. The love story between them was very satisfying and I rooted for them. The villains in this story are Rosalind’s father, her suitor Lord Madginecourt and Sir Allanrod. They made me furious and I was impatiently awaiting them to get their comeuppance.
The only negative I have for this book is that there are parts, which are a little too preachy for me. The villains don’t get punished enough and the virtuous characters are a little too virtuous.
I read this for my chronological reading project, a book for each year of the 19th century.
~ The Mysterious Freebooter by Francis Lathom ~
I was immediately hooked by Francis Lathom’s writing. He certainly knew how catch the reader’s interest and it’s no wonder he was so popular back then.
The first couple of chapters set the scene nicely and I got invested in the characters pretty quickly. I was surprised that a man of this era wrote this kind of female main character. Rosalind is intelligent, rational and has strong morals. Unlike many female characters in gothic fiction, she is neither sentimental, naïve nor prone to superstition or beliefs in the supernatural. She doesn't randomly faint, chooses wisely whom she gives her heart and affection, she is quick-witted when needed and kind to her inferiors. I also loved how Lathom managed to give her female attendant Gertrude a voice and not a belittling portrayal of a servant. She is just a side character but I really liked the relationship of her and Rosalind. Edward is Rosalind’s equal in intelligence, virtue and kindness. The love story between them was very satisfying and I rooted for them. The villains in this story are Rosalind’s father, her suitor Lord Madginecourt and Sir Allanrod. They made me furious and I was impatiently awaiting them to get their comeuppance.
The only negative I have for this book is that there are parts, which are a little too preachy for me. The villains don’t get punished enough and the virtuous characters are a little too virtuous.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews