George Eliot

First edition of Eliot's third novel, a fable in realist dress, praised by some as the greatest of her works.

• George Eliot (English).
• Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1861.
• [4], [6], 364, 16 pages.​ 
• Original embossed russet cloth, gilt-stamped spine, binding A (Carter), most leaves unopened, publisher's ad for Alexander Carlyle at front; Blackwood catalogue at rear, binder ticker to rear paste-down.

The idea for Eliot's only one-volume novel came "quite suddenly, as a sort of legendary tale" suggested by her childhood memory of seeing a weaver (as recounted in a letter to her publisher). By degrees she "became inclined to a more realistic treatment," though a kernel of fantasy remains under the careful working-out of ethical and material realities. Received by one contemporary critic as "boorish twaddle," SILAS MARNER has also been hailed as "the most flawless of George Eliot's works" (Joan Bennett).