The Mill on the Floss. By George Eliot. Illustrated by Paul Geiger. Limited Edition. Franklin Library. Franklin Center, 1982.

Mary Ann Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot, was one of the most popular authors of the Victoria era. Today she is primarily known for her novels Middlemarch and Romola, but during the 19th century, readers equally admired her many other works, including her poetry. A practitioner of literary realism, her writings are defined by their sense of place, their setting descriptions, and their keen psychological insights. The Mill on the Floss epitomizes these qualities. First published in 1860, it describes the lives of the Tullivers who grow up as miller’s children on the River Floss. The landscape and psychologies of the characters play out over decades, brilliantly rendering a drama of place, family, acceptance, and duty. It is one of Eliot’s best novels.

This limited edition is in fine condition. In the original leather, finely gilt stamped. Raised bands. Gilt spine label. Text block fine. Silk moire endpapers and bookmark sewn in. With the publisher’s original pamphlet laid in.

A fine collector’s copy of The Mill on the Floss.