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George Eliot [Mary Ann Evans]. Romola. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1863.... (Total: 3 )
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Description
George Eliot [Mary Ann Evans]. Romola. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1863.3 volumes, 8vo. 2 pp. publisher's advertisements at end of Vol. II. Publisher's green cloth, sides stamped in blind, gilt-decorated on spines.
FIRST EDITION. WILLIAM HALE WHITE'S COPY. Romola was originally published in fourteen parts in Cornhill Magazine from July 1862 to August 1863. A strict departure from Eliot's earlier works, the novel was an historical romance set in the 15th-century and focused on the intellectual, artistic, and social points of view of Renaissance Florence. It proved the toughest for Eliot to write; she would later remark, "I began it as a young woman, - and finished it an old woman." (Cross, Life, II, 352).
This copy belonged to William Hale White (1831-1913), a novelist, journalist, and early advocate for women's rights. He worked with George Eliot at The Westminster Review and both lived at 142 Strand, London, owned by its publisher John Chapman. White described his friendship with Eliot in a 1902 article for The Bookman entitled "George Eliot as I knew her". Writing under the pen name Mark Rutherford, White apparently referenced Eliot in his partially-fictionalized autobiography, The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford: Dissenting Minister (1881), where he depicts a romantic figure named Theresa who appears to be modelled after George Eliot. A SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION COPY.
Condition: Spines slightly leaned; minor wear to spine ends (with a few tiny breaks in cloth at tips) and corners; minor rubbing to edges. A few hinges cracked or tender; Vol. I text block cracked at center. Slight evidence of removed letter(?) and deleted brief inscription on front free endpaper; a few scattered spots, or mild marginal toning. Overall, a very good set with spine gilt still retaining much of its brightness.
References: Baker & Ross A7.2.
Provenance: W. Hale White, Carshalton (signatures on each front free endpaper). The Library of a Minnesota Collector.
Auction Info
2025 December 15 Rare Books Signature® Auction #6323 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
15th
Monday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 3
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