mother and co-author, Jean Shirley, to present a series of slide lectures on the life of British-born author, Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Mrs. Burnett wrote several children's classics, one of which -- The Secret Garden -- was written while living in a cottage at Bailey's Bay, Bermuda.

Other children's books for which Mrs. Burnett was best known include Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.

Born Frances Eliza Hodgson in 1849, the author left her native Manchester, England, to live in the US, where she married Dr. Swan Burnett and subsequently wrote Little Lord Fauntleroy , A Little Princess , as well as adult fiction.

As Ms Carpenter's letter indicates, she is researching the life and work of Mrs. Burnett with a view to making a television documentary.

Mrs. Linda Brown, to whom Ms Carpenter refers, is a descendant of the late Henry Hilgrove Hollis and his wife, the former Louisa Jane Wilkinson. She visited Bermuda last year to present a large collection of Hollis family letters and documents to the Bermuda Archives, and also gave illustrated lectures on her ancestors to schools and organisations.

Anyone interested in taking up Ms Carpenter's offer to present slide lectures in Bermuda, or willing to contribute her documentary or otherwise assist in her research on Mrs. Burnett, should contact her at: Palm Springs Public Library, 217 Cypress Lane, Palm Springs, Florida 33461-1698 (telephone 407-965-2204).

This is Ms Carpenter's letter: "My mother and co-author, Jean Shirley, and I were recently involved in making a documentary on L. Frank Baum and his creation, Oz, for the BBC. I haven't seen the finished project as yet, but understand that the show aired in Britain as part of a series called Arena. The BBC sold American rights to the show to the Arts & Entertainment network.

L. Frank Baum is the subject of our second book, and we proposed to the BBC producer that similar show should be made about Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's a long shot, he said, but told me who to contact in London to propose this idea. A key factor, he said, would be finding people to speak on camera. Linda Brown did an excellent job of finding some, and now I would like to arrange a trip to Bermuda to make some personal contacts.

I'm hoping to arrange a lecture tour like Linda's. I have slide shows on Mrs.

Burnett's life, and also of a trip I made to England to visit places where she lived. Sometimes I combine the two shows, and I do different presentations for children and adults.

Ideally, I could line up some paid speaking engagements in advance to cover expenses for me and my mother and co-author. She dresses up as Frances Hodgson Burnett, wearing a hat trimmed with roses, with a robin perched on the brim.

We could bring or sell books, too, to help defray expenses.

But if paid engagements are not possible, I think I can get myself to Bermuda for a short trip, maybe in August or September. I've never been to Bermuda but have heard many wonderful things about it.

I would be very grateful for any assistance you could provide.''