George Eliot, 1871-72

ELIOT, George (1819-1880). Middlemarch. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood, December 1871-December 1872.

A lovely copy of the first edition in parts of Eliot’s Victorian masterpiece, the work hailed as "magnificent" by Virginia Woolf and "the greatest" of English novels by Martin Amis and Julian Barnes. Due to the scope of her novel, Eliot and her companion George Lewes suggested to her publisher that the novel be published in eight parts priced at five shillings each and issued every two months starting in December 1871. While each part gave the reader more of the story than the traditional monthly serial publications, the more expensive price and the wait of two months for the next part meant Eliot needed to ensure her plot kept the public interested enough to purchase the next installment. Although Eliot found writing for serialization to be an enormously difficult task, Middlemarch proved to be a success. cementing Eliot's reputation and selling 5,000 copies of the edition in parts and 3,000 additional copies of the four volume bound edition. Baker & Ross A10.1.a.

Eight volumes, octavo. With all advertisements and slips announcing next volumes, errata slip in vol. 4, catalogue at end of vol. 8 (foxing to page edges). Original light green printed wrappers (minor lean, light wear and neat re-gluing to backstrips); custom box. Nall Yarmouth Library and Printing Office ticket to vol. 7; W. H. Smith & Son, Strand (blindstamp to rear cover of vol. 6).