JONKERS RARE BOOKS
7. Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life [GASKELL, Elizabeth]
A superb copy of Gaskell’s first novel and rarest work, listed first in Sadleir’s comparative scarcities with no copy listed in the main body of his catalogue. An important and mould-breaking Victorian novel which shocked its readership with its vivid descriptions of contrasting conditions across the provincial class divide, a subject which had hitherto been mainly treated from a London-centric perspective. “Mary Barton was the first novel to combine sincerity of purpose, con - vincing portrayal of character, and a largely unprejudiced picture of certain aspects of industrial life.” - Annette Hopkins (Mary Barton: A Victorian Best Seller in The Trollopian 1948).
Chapman & Hall, 1848. First edition. Two volumes. Publisher’s plum cloth with gilt titles to the spine and floral borders and cen - tral arabesques in blind to the covers. Advert leaf preceding title page of vol. I. A fine set, crisp and clean with just a touch of fad - ing to the spines, but bright gilt. Internally, perfect hinges with an early ownership name to the front endpapers, but very clean throughout. An exceptional copy. [44247] £12,500
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