George Eliot: A Bibliographical History

George Eliot was one of the most important British novelists of the later 19th century. She was also a significant writer of novellas, poetry, essays, book-review-articles and translations. Despite this, although descriptive listings of first editions have appeared, there has been no extensive descriptive author bibliography. This text covers all her published writings, dealing with all traced printings of editions of her novels and other literary works that first appeared in print prior to her death in December 1880, in Great Britain and the United States of America. It deals more cursorily with subsequent printings of these editions, and with many translations of them, or editions in English, that have been published in other countries. It covers also the essays and review-articles, other miscellaneous writings, collected editions and unpublished writings subsequently published. The bibliography endeavours to set these writings in the contexts of the circumstances of their composition and early publication, and provides some guides to their contemporary reception, through listings of early reviews. It makes extensive use of printing-house and publication records, for British editions, and also of George Eliot's and her partner George Henry Lewes's correspondence, journals and notebooks. It takes account of extant manuscripts and proof-corrected copies, or critical editions of her works, and of biographical studies.