George Eliot [Mary Ann Evans] — Romola

Edinburgh, William Blackwood and Sons, c1878 . Vellum. An excellent copy of a new edition of George Eliot's historical novel set in Florence, in a decorative binding. A new edition. Bound in decorative full vellum. Dated using Jisc from a copy of the new edition held at the University of East Anglia Library.Part of the 'Novels of George Eliot', this being Volume VI in the series.Extra illustrated, with twenty photogravure plates, mostly presenting views in Italy. 'Romola' is a historical novel, set in fifteenth century Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. The novel begins in Florence in 1492, at which time Christopher Columbus had just set sail, and Lorenzo de' Medici had just died. The novel centres around Romola de' Bardi, the daughter of the blind classical scholar Bardo de' Bardi. She herself is immersed in classical studies, and eventually falls in love with Tito Melema. Tito is a handsome young scholar, arriving in Florence after being shipwrecked. He eventually succumbs to ambitions and self-preservation, earning Romola's disdain. George Eliot was the pseudonym used by the writer Mary Ann Evans. She published under a male name to escape the preconceived ideas about women's fiction during the era. Eliot is one of the best known Victorian writers, and many believe that her novel 'Middlemarch' is the greatest novel in the English Language. With a bookseller label of George A. Cole, Florence. With a postcard from Florence, loosely inserted. Bound in a decorative full vellum binding. Externally, excellent, with the odd mark and slight discolouration, as is common with vellum. Bookseller label to the front paste down. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright, with the occasional handling mark or light spotting. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: None. Very Good Indeed .