Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

Ruth is a young orphaned girl who works in a sweatshop. Mrs. Mason, Ruth's boss, runs the sweatshop in a respectable manner, earning a sterling reputation among her employees and society. However, the comfort and acclaim of Ruth's job is threatened when she attends a ball to repair any dresses that get torn during dancing. There, she meets an aristocratic man named Henry Bellingham, who is infamous for his immoral treatment of women and frivolous...

A writer of remarkably diverse talents, Elizabeth Gaskell produced fiction and non-fiction ranging from short stories that offered detailed cross-sections of Victorian life and society to a well-regarded biography of author Charlotte Bronte. The novel A Dark Night's Work is the engrossing apogee of Gaskell's foray into Gothic ghost stories and tales of horror. Fans of these genres won't be disappointed. As part of our mission to publish great works...

Lady Ludlow is a complex and fascinating character, who embodies the contradictions and tensions of her time. On the one hand, she is a deeply traditional and conservative figure, who believes in the strict hierarchy and social codes of her class. On the other hand, she is also a compassionate and caring woman, who is committed to helping the poor and vulnerable members of her community. As the story unfolds, Lady Ludlow becomes embroiled in a series...

Elizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë (1857) is a pioneering biography of one great Victorian woman novelist by another. Gaskell was a friend of Charlotte Brontë, and, having been invited to write the official life, determined both to tell the truth and to honour her friend. She contacted those who had known Charlotte and travelled extensively in England and Belgium to gather material. She wrote from a vivid accumulation of letters, interviews,...

A touching portrait of a complicated family. The Moorland Cottage is a story about a woman asked to give up her hopes and dreams to further her bother's. Gaskell expertly confronts the mores and social problems faced by Victorian women while highlighting their strength and grace. A touching portrait of a complicated family. The Moorland Cottage is a story about a woman asked to give up her hopes and dreams to further her bother's. Gaskell expertly...

Featuring five works of short gothic fiction, Curious, If True delivers peculiar stories that incite spine-chilling reactions. Depicting a classic ghost tale, The Old Nurse's Story follows a nurse named Hester as she tells a group of children about her ancestry. The Poor Clare, depicts an intriguing narrative as a pragmatic lawyer uses his position to investigate the records and history of strange women said to have supernatural abilities. . Primarily...

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell's Half-Brothersfollows two brothers, Gregory, and his younger brother, who is left, unnamed. After the death of her first husband, Helen, Gregory's mother, remarries a man named William Preston. Together, they conceive a child, but Helen tragically dies during childbirth. Mourning the loss of his wife, but happy about the arrival of his son, William is left to raise both children alone. However, since Gregory is quiet, slightly...

The Life of Charlotte Brontë Volume 1 by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is a meticulously crafted biography that delves into the life and times of one of literature's most enigmatic figures, Charlotte Brontë. Gaskell's work provides an intimate portrait of Brontë, exploring her personal struggles, literary genius, and the societal pressures she faced as a female writer in the 19th century. The biography is not just a recounting of Brontë's life...

A farmer in nineteenth-century England is torn between love and her sense of duty in this novella by the author of Wives and Daughters and Cranford. Susan Dixon is a hardworking, respected farmer living alone in the Westmorland Dales in northwest England. But that wasn't always the case. She was once surrounded by her father and mother, her brother, and her beloved, the handsome Michael Hurst. Time and time again, Susan is put to the test as tragedy...

When John Barton's wife dies, he is forced to raise his daughter, Mary, alone, while he grieves the love of his life. Though he is a hard-working man, John struggles to provide for his family. Realizing how unfair his financial situation is, John becomes very resentful towards the unethical distribution of wealth between the social classes. Against John's wishes, when Mary comes of age, she decides to help support their family by working in a dressmaking...