L12408

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Lot 88
  • 88

Eliot, George

Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 GBP
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Description

  • Eliot, George
  • The Mill on the Floss. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1860
  • Paper
8vo, 3 volumes, first edition, with the inserted leaf advertising Clerical Life and Adam Bede in volume I, with blank leaf z6 at the end of volume 1, 16pp. publisher's catalogue bound in at the end of volume III, lemon endpapers, publisher's cinnamon ripple-grain cloth decorated in blind on covers, spines gilt, binder's ticket "Edmonds and Remnants" at end of volume I (Carter's variant Binding B), in brown chemises and morocco-backed slipcase, tear to lower margin of p.257 volume 2 repaired (not affecting text), some careful repair to hinges, occasional light spotting, extremities slightly bumped

Literature

Sadleir 816a; Wollff 2060; John Carter, Binding Variants (1932), pp.110-111

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Despite G.H. Lewes' concern that public knowledge of George Eliot's identity would adversely affect the book's reception, The Mill on the Floss met with both critical and commercial success. George Eliot herself had been ambivalent about the title, which was suggested to her by her publisher, John Blackwood, remarking that  "the Mill is not strictly on the Floss, being on its small tributary, and ... the title is of rather laborious utterance" (Letters, III, p.240).