Charles Edward Carryl (1841-1920) worked as a director of a number of railway companies until he took a position in the New York Stock Exchange, which he held from 1874 to 1908. He married Mary Wetmore in 1869, with whom he had two children, Guy Wetmore Carryl (who later became a poet and humorist), and Constance Carryl (to whom The Admiral’s Caravan was dedicated). Previously, in 1891, Carryl published another children’s book, Davy and the Goblin . The Admiral’s Caravan appeared first in serialized form in the children’s periodical St Nicholas beginning in 1891; it was published in book form first in 1892 and remained in print for many years. The Admiral’s Caravan is one of the last important works of nineteenth-century American children’s fantasy published before The Wizard of Oz appeared in 1900. The story takes place – as such stories often do – on Christmas Eve when young Dorothy embarks on an adventure with the Admiral, the Highlander, and Sir Walter Rosettes, three wooden statues who come alive on that magic evening…