Pook Press celebrates the great Golden Age of Illustration in children's literature. Many of the earliest children's books, particularly those dating back to the 1850s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Pook Press are working to republish these classic works in affordable, high quality, colour editions, using the original text and artwork so these works can delight another generation of children.

First published in 1850, Olive is a variant on the story of Jane Eyre. The titular character is not an orphan, but she suffers from a physical deformity that acts as a similar social impediment. Olive grows up sheltered, thinking nothing is wrong with her. However when her overprotective nursemaid dies, it is a great shock to her to know that she is not attractive to men and will therefore probably never marry. Even though Olive is determined to support herself and be happy in spite of her hardships, she eventually does find love in a very unlikely

When Elizabeth begins working as a maid in the Leaf household it is the start of a new chapter for them all. Elizabeth is clumsy, sullen, unteachable...but still waters run deep and this girl will become the steady rock around which the little family can cling when times are hard and tragedy strikes. Dinah Craik was one of the most popular writers of the 19th century, blending heart-warming stories with acute, funny, down-to-earth observations. Her stories show real people in real situations. The great strength of Mistress and Maid is in its portrayal of women, alone in the world with no one to support them, who must rely on their own talents in a society which expects them to fade into the background. In this book, even the unlikeable characters are recognisable and no one is portrayed without us seeing the whole of them, good or bad. With rich illustrations throughout. Paperback editions of this book are printed using the clear, easy-to-read, 'dyslexia-friendly' font Century Gothic.

When Elizabeth begins working as a maid in the Leaf household it is the start of a new chapter for them all. Elizabeth is clumsy, sullen, unteachable...but still waters run deep and this girl will become the steady rock around which the little family can cling when times are hard and tragedy strikes. Dinah Craik was one of the most popular writers of the 19th century, blending heart-warming stories with acute, funny, down-to-earth observations. Her stories show real people in real situations. The great strength of Mistress and Maid is in its portrayal of women, alone in the world with no one to support them, who must rely on their own talents in a society which expects them to fade into the background. In this book, even the unlikeable characters are recognisable and no one is portrayed without us seeing the whole of them, good or bad. With rich illustrations throughout, this is the large print edition.

Pook Press celebrates the great Golden Age of Illustration in children's literature. Many of the earliest children's books, particularly those dating back to the 1850s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Pook Press are working to republish these classic works in affordable, high quality, colour editions, using the original text and artwork so these works can delight another generation of children.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.