The binding is a shaky but still solid; the pages tanned ; page 323 has a closed tear which has been repaired with clear acid free tape and "The Manse Castlemaine is embossed on the front end paper. Overall a very good but obviously used copy The book has no publishing date, and 1897 is taken from Worlcat. The book is part of "Nicholson's Home Library Series". "Margaret Catchpole (14 March 1762 - 13 May 1819) was an English adventuress, chronicler and criminal. Born in Suffolk, she worked as a servant in various houses before being convicted of stealing a horse and later escaping from Ipswich Gaol. Following her capture she was transported to Australia. Her entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography describes her as one of the few true convict chroniclers with an excellent memory and a gift for recording events........Rev. Richard Cobbold (son of her former employers) made Catchpole the subject of a novel, The History of Margaret Catchpole (London, 1845), which has often been reprinted. The author claims that "the public may depend upon the truth of the main features of this narrative" however some discrepancies have since come to light .... (Wikipedia)