Originally published in 1860, George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss is a deeply semi-autobiographical masterpiece of Victorian realism. Centered on the turbulent lives of siblings Maggie and Tom Tulliver, the novel explores the tragic tension between individual desire and the rigid expectations of family and society. Maggie, one of literature's most complex and spirited heroines, navigates a path through the fictional village of St. Ogg’s that is fraught with intellectual hunger, moral conflict, and a desperate need for belonging. Renowned for its psychological depth and its evocative, river-bound climax, Eliot’s work remains a profound meditation on the ties that bind us to our past and the inevitable conflicts of the human heart.
Edition: 1886 Edition.
Publisher: Belford, Clarke & Co., Chicago and New York.
Binding: Original publisher's cloth featuring decorative period stamping. The volume is in Very Good condition, featuring a relatively tight binding and minimal shelf wear.
Condition Points: The boards show only minor scuffing and light bumping to the corners. Internally, the pages are clean and well-preserved. Condition Note: There is a small, honest tear at the bottom of the title page, but the leaf remains entirely intact and the text block is otherwise exceptional.
Provenance: An authentic 19th-century American trade printing from one of the most prolific and historically significant Midwestern publishing houses of the Gilded Age.
This Belford, Clarke & Co. printing is a fascinating piece of American publishing history. Based in Chicago, Belford, Clarke was known for challenging the East Coast publishing establishment by producing high-quality, affordable editions of European classics. While the 1860 three-volume first edition is the pinnacle for Eliot specialists, this 1886 Chicago printing represents a beautiful and accessible entry point for the "new antiquarian" collector. Books from this era are frequently found with "shaken" bindings or heavy foxing, making the remarkably good condition of this specific copy a notable find. The structural soundness of the binding and the cleanliness of the pages make it an ideal "shelf copy" that can be handled and read without the fragility associated with earlier states.
Originally published in 1860, George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss is a deeply semi-autobiographical masterpiece of Victorian realism. Centered on the turbulent lives of siblings Maggie and Tom Tulliver, the novel explores the tragic tension between individual desire and the rigid expectations of family and society. Maggie, one of literature's most complex and spirited heroines, navigates a path through the fictional village of St. Ogg’s that is fraught with intellectual hunger, moral conflict, and a desperate need for belonging. Renowned for its psychological depth and its evocative, river-bound climax, Eliot’s work remains a profound meditation on the ties that bind us to our past and the inevitable conflicts of the human heart.
Edition: 1886 Edition.
Publisher: Belford, Clarke & Co., Chicago and New York.
Binding: Original publisher's cloth featuring decorative period stamping. The volume is in Very Good condition, featuring a relatively tight binding and minimal shelf wear.
Condition Points: The boards show only minor scuffing and light bumping to the corners. Internally, the pages are clean and well-preserved. Condition Note: There is a small, honest tear at the bottom of the title page, but the leaf remains entirely intact and the text block is otherwise exceptional.
Provenance: An authentic 19th-century American trade printing from one of the most prolific and historically significant Midwestern publishing houses of the Gilded Age.
This Belford, Clarke & Co. printing is a fascinating piece of American publishing history. Based in Chicago, Belford, Clarke was known for challenging the East Coast publishing establishment by producing high-quality, affordable editions of European classics. While the 1860 three-volume first edition is the pinnacle for Eliot specialists, this 1886 Chicago printing represents a beautiful and accessible entry point for the "new antiquarian" collector. Books from this era are frequently found with "shaken" bindings or heavy foxing, making the remarkably good condition of this specific copy a notable find. The structural soundness of the binding and the cleanliness of the pages make it an ideal "shelf copy" that can be handled and read without the fragility associated with earlier states.
