Books

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1856-60. First edition. Leather. Very Good. 9.5" by 6". None. A volume of four novels by popular British Victorian authors bound in one, all first or early American editions, including the very scarce first U.S. edition of George Eliot's debut novel. Four novels bound in one, all but one being the first U.S. editions, all scarce editions.This volume contains the novels of three eminent female authors of the Victorian era; George Eliot, Dinah Craik, and Margaret Oliphant. All three of these authors were popular during the Victorian era, writing novels reflecting the society of their day of all classes and across Britain. This volume expresses their popularity, containing the American editions of the works of these British women. Of these three women, Eliot remains the best known today, this volume containing her first published work of fiction.'Scenes of a Clerical Life', by George Eliot. The very scarce first U.S. edition, published in the same year as…

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.

Consult a reference guide for William Blackwood and Sons first editions, check for print details signifying it is a first print. George Eliot's work would not have had a large first run, typically noted by higher quality paper and binding for the time.