English Literature, History, Children's Books and Illustrations

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Lot 65
  • 65

Eliot, George

Estimate
2,000 - 2,500 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Eliot, George
  • The Mill on the Floss. Edinburgh and London, William Blackwood and Sons, 1860
  • ink on paper
8vo (200 x 120mm.), 3 volumes, FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING, PRESUMED FIRST STATE, 16-page publisher’s catalogue at end of volume 3, publisher’s cinnamon diagonal ripple-grain cloth, covers decorated in blind, spines gilt (Carter's variant B), lemon endpapers, Edmonds & Remnant's binder’s ticket at end of volume I, folding box by Zaehnsdorf for E. Joseph, some light soiling, hinges splitting, spines bumped at head and foot, corners slightly bumped

Literature

Baker & Ross A.5.1.a1; Carter, pp.110-111; Sadleir 816a; Wolff 2060

Catalogue Note

George Eliot herself was ambivalent about the title of this novel, 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). As with other copies of the first edition, first printing, presumed first state identified by Baker & Ross (p.100, note 2),  this copy has the 16-page gathering of publisher’s advertisements more commonly seen in the presumed second state.