Auction Name: 2025 December 15 Rare Books Signature® Auction

Lot Number: 45045

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/6323*45045

George Eliot [Mary Ann Evans]. Adam Bede. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1859.

3 volumes, 8vo. Half-titles; 16 pp. publisher's advertisements at the end of Vol. III. Original cinnamon cloth covers decorated in blind, spines lettered and decorated in gilt, untrimmed, with binder's ticket of Edmonds & Remnants on rear pastedown of Vol. I.

FIRST EDITION of Eliot's first full-length novel. By 1859, Eliot was already a respected editor, essayist, and reviewer, but noted: "it had always been a vague dream of mine that some time or other I might write a novel," but feared she was "deficient in dramatic power." When it was published, Adam Bede became an instant success, and there was great public pressure to reveal the pseudonymity. Because of her controversial relationship with George Lewes, Eliot (Evans) was concerned she would come under scrutiny, hurting both her private life, as well as sales of the book. The binding variant of this set is without a period following "London" at foot of spine (Baker & Ross's variant B), but with yellow endpapers here (instead of yellow-green described for this variant).

Condition: Spines a bit leaned; minor wear to extremities; faint rectangular discoloration to front covers (presumably from where library labels were previously removed); some light rubbing and soiling; corners a little bumped. Some light marginal stains on pp. 177-81 in Vol. I; text block just cracked at center in Vol. I (between pp. 128 and 129).

References: Baker & Ross A4.1 (Binding B); Parrish 12; Sadleir 812; Wolff 2056.

Provenance: The Library of a Minnesota Collector.

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