Books

"Scenes of Clerical Life" by George Eliot. William Blackwood, 1858 first UK edition. Complete 2 vol., first edition in book form, half-titles, divisional fly-titles, contemporary ink ownership inscription to half-titles and titles, some light finger soiling to margins, original purple cloth by Edmonds & Remnants (Baker & Ross variant A), sympathetically rebacked with original back-strip laid down (slight wear visible to spine ends), some light scuffing, slipcase ? First edition, one of only 1050 copies printed, of Eliot's first foray into fiction. The collection of three novellas was well-received during its first publication in Blackwood's Magazine in 1857; they explore themes later characteristic of her work and give origin to her 'nom de plume'. One of George Eliot's rarest works especially in original publisher's binding.

Scenes of Clerical Life is the title under which George Eliot's first published works of fiction appeared in 1858, consisting of three novellas based on the lives of different clergymen. Originally published anonymously, these stories mark Eliot's debut into the world of literature.