My Lady Caprice  -  1907
reissued in 1912 as The Chronicles of the Imp
John Jeffery Farnol
140 pages
genre  -  Romance
my rating  -  4 out of 5 stars

When Elizabeth's aunt asks Richard (Dick) Brent to allow her niece six months space "to give dear Elizabeth time to learn her own heart", Dick reluctantly agrees.  A week later Dick learns that the aunt really wants her choice of a suitor for Elizabeth time to woo the girl.  So Dick immediately leaves for the country and rents a room at an inn to be near Elizabeth. 

But the first person Dick meets in the area is Elizabeth's 8-year-old nephew, whose nickname is Imp.  Imp has a wonderful imagination; he loves to act out roles from his favorite books: Robin Hood, Aladdin, Long John Silver and Camelot.  And the Imp is always looking for a willing sidekick.

Dick quickly realizes that the way to his girl's heart is through this precocious child.  What grand adventures they have. 

I hope you are lucky enough to read this charming book with the beautiful illustrations.  They are by Charlotte Weber Ditzler.

About the author  - 

John Jeffery Farnol was born 10 February, 1878,  in Aston, Birmingham, and brought up in London and Kent. He attended the Westminster Art School, after he had lost his job in a Birmingham metal-working firm.

In 1900, he married Blanche Hawley, daughter of the noted New York scenic artist Hughson Hawley. They moved to the United States, where he found work as a scene painter.

The success of his early novels led Farnol to become a professional writer; he returned to England around 1910, and settled on the south coast. He produced around 40 novels, and some non-fiction and children's books. He, with Georgette Heyer, founded the Regency romantic genre.

He died 9 August 1952 after a long battle with cancer. His last book was completed by his second wife Phyllis, whom he had married in 1938.

If you want to know more about this author and his works, check out the Jeffery Farnol Appreciation Society.  http://the-stable.lancs.ac.uk/~esarie/farnol/