These two books were written by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856 - 1923), an American educator, author and composer. 

Sizes: 7 3/4 x 5 1/4 in. 7 1/2 x 5 in. 

She wrote children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, which was published in 1903. Her first book was The Story of Patsy published in 1883 and her next book was The Birds' Christmas Carol, published in 1887. Both privately printed books were issued commercially by Houghton Mifflin in 1889, with enormous success. 

Diary Of A Goose Girl is basically a tale about learning to live on a farm. It follows the adventures of a young girl named Rebecca Randall, who is sent to live with her aunt and uncle on a farm in Maine. Rebecca is put in charge of a flock of geese and becomes enamored with their quirky personalities and mischievous behavior. As she tends to the geese, Rebecca learns important lessons about responsibility, hard work, and the joys of nature, and the book is a precursor to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.  

The book has the title in black letters on the spine, an illustrated cover that shows a girl with a gaggle of geese, blank endpapers with a pencilled note on the front flyleaf that says the book is a first edition and BAL 22627, then a list of books by Kate Wiggin on the page before the half-title, a frontis drawing of Rebecca eying some geese, a tissue guard, the title page, which says the book was published in Boston and New York in 1902 by Houghton Mifflin and illustrated by Claude Shepperson, the copyright page is dated 1902, which makes this a first edition - there is just a single date on the title page and copyright page and the dates match - then a page dedicated to hens, ducks, and geese, a two-page list of Illustrations, and 117 pages of text.  

The book measures 7 3/4 x 5 1/4 inches wide and is in good condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text. The spine has faded a bit and there is light wear on the heel and crown, faint soiling on the covers and faint wear at the tips, just a couple of brown spots near the beginning of the book, and overall, a solid copy of this Wiggin title.  

Penelope’s Irish Experiences has Penelope’s Experiences Ireland in gilt on the spine and front cover, along with the illustrator’s name and the publisher’s name on the spine, the author’s name and “Illustrated By C. E. Brock” along with shamrocks in gilt decorating the front cover - shamrocks are the unofficial flower of Ireland - then dark endpapers, a penciled note on a front flyleaf, a half-title, a list of books by Mrs. Wiggin, a frontispiece drawing of three young women singing in a horse-drawn cart, the title page says Penelope’s Irish Experiences and the book was published in London in 1902 by Gay and Bird, the copyright page says the book was first published in May 1901 and this is the eighth edition published in October 1902, so the book had to be popular to go through so many editions in one year, then a two-page list of Contents, a four-page list of Illustrations, 335  pages of text, sixteen pages of ads at the rear, and all the edges are gilt.  

The book measures 7 1/2 x 5 inches wide and is in very good condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text. The spine has light wear at the heel and crown, light wear along the edges of the boards and at the tips, and overall, a very attractive copy of this title by Kate Wiggin.  

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