Every Girl's Library, Volume 8 of 10: A Collection of Appropriate and Instructive Reading for Girls of All Ages from the Best Authors of All Time

In Short

This volume gathers classic nineteenth- and early twentieth-century selections designed to instruct and inspire young female readers through literary excellence. Across its pages, idyllic tropical romance gives way to equine memoirs, dramatic courtroom confrontations, political histories of fallen queens, satirical fairy tales, and contemplative essays on the value of quiet living. The collection endures because it balances moral earnestness with genuine artistic power, offering readers a rich tapestry of drama, verse, and historical portraiture that examines duty, compassion, human vanity, and the enduring strength of the human spirit across varied landscapes and eras.

The Story

The collection opens in the lush, secluded mountains of an Indian Ocean island, where the innocent youths Paul and Virginia grow up in natural virtue, performing selfless acts such as rescuing a starving escaped slave and reenacting biblical dramas amidst radiant tropical forests. This idyllic pastoral simplicity shifts directly into the domestic realities of nineteenth-century England through the eyes of Black Beauty, a gentle horse whose transition to a new estate reveals the quiet cruelties of fashion, as his companion Ginger suffers under the painful strain of the trendy check-rein enforced by a noble lady.

From equestrian hardship, the progression moves into high dramatic tension with the trial scene of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where the merchant Antonio faces the cold insistence of Shylock demanding his legally bound pound of flesh, while Bassanio offers wealth in vain and the court awaits a decisive legal mind from Padua. The emotional tone then expands into lyric reflection through Percy Bysshe Shelley’s tribute to the skylark, contrasting the bird’s unblemished, soaring joy with the inevitable sorrow embedded in human laughter and art.

A deeper philosophical shift occurs in Robert Louis Stevenson’s narrative of Will o' the Mill, an innkeeper who chooses a quiet life in a mountain pass, declining worldly ambition and romantic union with the parson’s daughter Marjory, only to face the ghosts of his past and the arrival of Death in his seventy-second year. Stevenson’s accompanying essay on idleness further dismantles the frantic pursuit of fame, arguing that no single career or monument alters the world’s quiet movement.

Historical reality takes center stage in Agnes Strickland’s account of Queen Henrietta Maria. The narrative traces her turbulent marriage to King Charles I, political rifts with Parliament, the tragic trial and execution of the king—who maintains his dignity amidst the taunts and insults of guards—and the queen’s eventual death in French exile caused by an ill-timed sleeping potion.

Satire and romance bring the volume toward its conclusion. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver learns of Lilliput’s absurd thirty-six-moon war with Blefuscu over which end of an egg to break, pledging his strength to defend the emperor. Alfred Tennyson contributes intense verses of longing, grief, and morning light, while Thackeray offers both lighthearted satire in The Rose and the Ring—where mistaken warrants send Prince Bulbo to the executioner’s block while Prince Giglio recovers on chicken jelly—and heroic verse commemorating Pocahontas saving a captive knight. The volume closes with publisher notices offering framed artwork, grounding this expansive literary journey in early twentieth-century print culture.

How It Unfolds

Virtue in the tropical wild Young Paul and Virginia return home through mountain paths after securing mercy for a starving Maroon slave. Their mothers embrace them with tears, celebrating a day spent in quiet goodness away from societal gossip.

Cruelty in the refined stable Black Beauty and the chestnut mare Ginger adjust to their new home under the care of York and John. Though the horses are gentle, the insistence of their new mistress on fashionable check-reins threatens their peace.

The courtroom demands its bond Shylock stands firm before the Duke of Venice, rejecting Bassanio’s offer of six thousand ducats to demand Antonio’s flesh. Antonio prepares for death as the court awaits a legal doctor from Padua to resolve the crisis.

Song above human sorrow Shelley praises the unseen skylark soaring high above the earth in a shower of pure melody. He notes that unlike the untroubled bird, human beings pine for what is missing and sing their sweetest songs from sad thoughts.

A quiet life meets its summons Old Will the innkeeper sits in his dark arbour surrounded by vivid memories of his past and visions of departed loved ones. Hearing the long-dead miller call his name, he prepares to depart the worldly rat-trap.

The fall of a king King Charles I stands before Bradshawe’s court as Colonel Downes protests in vain against the sentence. The king endures the insults of spitting soldiers with serene patience before his execution.

The absurdities of empire Gulliver hears the Lilliputian secretary detail the bloody history of the Bigendian egg disputes and impending invasion. He promises his physical strength to protect the emperor from foreign assault.

Fairy tales and royal mistakes Prince Giglio recovers from illness with the help of Betsinda, unaware that Captain Hedzoff is dragging Prince Bulbo to the scaffold by mistake. Giglio spends his morning composing poetry while chaotic royal orders unfold.

The People

Virginia seeks to live a life of pure Christian charity and obedience on her isolated island, untouched by vanity or public praise. Though mountain terrain and physical hardship challenge her, her successful plea for a runaway slave fills her with deep emotional satisfaction and seals her dedication to selfless virtue.

Shylock demands rigorous adherence to Venetian law to exact revenge on Antonio, seeking the literal fulfillment of his contract. Standing against the appeals of Bassanio and the Duke, he refuses all monetary compensation, remaining unyielding in his legalistic hatred until the court intervenes.

Will o' the Mill desires peace and contemplation rather than the relentless pursuit of fortune or romantic commitment. Constrained only by his own philosophical reluctance, he lives to seventy-two as a friendly eccentric, ultimately embracing his final hours when old memories and ancestral voices gather in his garden.

Queen Henrietta Maria wants to protect her family, maintain her royal dignity, and secure peace between warring religious factions. Hindered by Parliament’s anti-Catholic demands and her husband’s eventual execution, she survives decades of civil strife only to die quietly in France from an accidental overdose prescribed by court physicians.

Prince Giglio wants the affection of Princess Angelica and recovery from his bedridden illness. Unaware that housemaid Betsinda feeds him and conceals Angelica’s indifference, he regains his health and turns his focus toward writing devotionals, blissfully ignorant of the political chaos outside his room.

In Its Own Voice

In Saint Pierre’s tropical narrative, the narrator reflects on how the virtuous families live quietly without searching for public renown or fame:

"The modest violet thus, concealed in thorny places, sheds all unseen its delightful fragrance around."

In his essay arguing against the restless pursuit of career and fortune, Stevenson dryly summarizes the absurdity of carrying the world on one's shoulders:

"Atlas was just a gentleman with a protracted nightmare!"

During the tense courtroom confrontation, Shylock defends his relentless demand for his legal bond by pointing directly to the institutional cruelties practiced by Venetian society:

"You have among you many a purchased slave, Which, like your asses and your dogs and mules, You use in abject and in slavish parts, Because you bought them:"

What It's Really About

Beneath its varied literary forms, this volume addresses the central question of what constitutes a worthy and meaningful life. Across historical biography, drama, fable, and poetry, the selections contrast outer status with inner integrity. Power, aristocratic vanity, and fanatical political ambition consistently bring ruin or absurdity, whether demonstrated through the bloody egg disputes of Swift's Lilliput, the tragic downfall of King Charles I, or the painful demands of fashionable horse harnessings. In contrast, true nobility emerges in quiet places: through Virginia's selfless charity, Black Beauty's patient endurance, Stevenson's celebration of unhurried contemplation, and the skylark's pure, unpretentious song. The anthology argues that moral clarity and peace of mind belong to those who reject societal pretension in favor of compassion, humility, and steadfast duty.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate vintage anthologies, classical prose, and moral storytelling will find this volume a deeply satisfying journey. Reading it feels like browsing an exquisite, curated library of early twentieth-century taste, where high-stakes historical drama sits alongside gentle humor and serene poetry. What lingers longest is the anthology's quiet insistence that kindness and personal integrity outweigh public ambition.

Modern readers should, however, prepare for certain period difficulties evident throughout the selections. The text features archaic vocabulary, formal parliamentary histories, and dense poetic syntax that require patient reading. In addition, readers will encounter late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century perspectives on social hierarchy and colonial settings—such as the depiction of faithful servants, enslaved people, and submissive subjects—that reflect the historical era in which these works were compiled. For those willing to navigate these older stylistic conventions and historical attitudes, the collection offers an enriching encounter with classical literature, showcasing how earlier generations taught moral virtue through enduring stories, memorable historical figures, and timeless poetic beauty.