The Carved Lions by Mrs Molesworth When two life sized carved lions from the east are given as a gift to an English household, the children of the house are enchanted, especially when the lions come to life and help take care of them. This is a delightful book for young girls but retains some adult appeal. The author Mrs Molesworth (1839 - 1921) has been called "the Jane Austen of the nursery.

"The cuckoo clock has stopped!" exclaims little Griselda.

"Stopped!" says Miss Tabitha, throwing up her hands. "Impossible!"

"I mean "cuckoo" has stopped," the girl says. "The clock is going on, but the cuckoo isn't telling the hours."

"What can we do?" says Miss Tabitha. "Should we send for the watch-maker?" But Miss Grizzel shakes her head, and says, "That would be worse than useless, Tabitha. Were we to search the world over, we would find no one to put it right. Fifty years and more, that clock has never missed an hour! We are getting old, Tabitha -- and maybe our day is nearly over!"

Mary Louisa Molesworth (1836-1921), author of beloved children's novel "The Tapestry Room," tells of a young girl's experiences finding magic and mystery in the ancient homestead of her ancestors, in "The Cuckoo Clock."

Griselda, forced to move in with her aunts Grizzel and Tabitha, finds life so miserable that she throws a book at the cuckoo clock, which breaks. In return for persuading the cuckoo that she is sorry, the cuckoo takes her off to magical worlds. A classic fantasy tale originally published in 1877, the Wildside Press edition is a facsimile reprint complete with the original illustrations.

Mrs. Molesworth has been called "the Jane Austen of the nursery" with good reason.

A comprehensive collection of the bizarre tales of Mrs Molesworth
The writer who was always known by her formal title Mrs Molesworth, was in fact born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands to English parents in 1839 and christened Mary Louisa Stewart. Her father was a successful Manchester businessman and Mary was educated both in England and Switzerland. In 1861 she married Major R. Molesworth, a nephew of Viscount Molesworth, an Irish aristocrat. Their marriage was ultimately unsuccessful and they were legally separated in 1879. Her first fiction-the 1869 novel 'Lover and Husband'-was published under the pseudonym Ennis Graham. As was common among authors of the day she wrote in a number of genres but-curiously-she was most prolific as a writer of children's' fiction, particularly for girls who were too old for fairytales but to young for adult fiction. These tales were for those who would eventually become Victorian wives and mothers and so were rich with the sentiments of duty and morality. These may seem like dubious credentials to those interested in good supernatural fiction and especially to those who have not actually read any of Mrs Molesworth's stories of ghosts and hauntings. However, this would be to do the author a great injustice for the only shortcoming concerning her strange tales is that she did not write more of them. Her talent for the genre will be immediately apparent to the reader and, indeed, several of the tales included here are recognised as classics and were highly regarded by the supernatural writer and academic M. R. James. Among the fifteen stories in this special Leonaur collection-which we believe (at the time of publication) is the only comprehensive gathering of Mary Molesworth's tales of the other worldly available-are 'The Story of the Rippling Train, ' 'At the Dip of the Road, ' 'The Man with the Cough, ' 'Half way Between the Stiles' and many others. Also included in this collection is a story by Mary Molesworth's son Bevil, 'A Ghost of the Pampas.' Bevil died on his Patagonian ranch when in his mid twenties.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

'The Reverend Bernard Vane, at present vicar of St. Cyprian's, somewhere in the west end of London -- that is Redding's description of him, ' Mr. Fairchild replied. 'I don't know how a fashionable London clergyman will settle down at Seacove, nor what his reasons are for coming here, I'm sure. I hope the change will be for good.'

But his tone showed that he was not at all certain that it would prove so.

'Is he married?' asked Celestina's mother. 'Oh yes, by the bye, I remember Mr. Redding spoke of children, but old Captain Deal came in just as he was telling more and I could not hear the rest.'

'There are several children and Mrs. Vane a youngish lady still, he said. The old Rectory will want some overhauling before they come to it, I should say, ' remarked Mr. Fairchild. 'It must be nigh upon forty years since Dr. Bunton came there, and there's not much been done in the way of repairs, save a little whitewashing now and then. The doctor and Mrs. Bunton haven't needed much just by themselves -- but a family's different; they'll be needing nurseries and schoolrooms and what not, especially if they have been used to grand London ways