Made to Order at Juniper Custom in Boulder, Colorado

In 1859, Adam Bede made "George Eliot" the talk of England, and few readers guessed that the author was Mary Ann Evans. Her novels, crowned by Middlemarch, portray provincial Victorian life with unmatched depth and sympathy. For this set, the creative studio Obvious State designed jackets that reveal the woman behind the pen name. The books are Everyman's Library editions, clothbound with silk ribbons, acid-free cream paper and half-round spines. It is a set for the devoted reader of the Victorian novel, and a quietly brilliant gift.

“Mary Anne Evans smuggled her stories into the public sphere under the pseudonym ‘George Eliot.’ I wanted to illustrate that fact, the woman behind the male pen name, which parallels a tension in her stories between passionate, independent characters and the rigid Victorian society in which they lived.” – Evan Robertson, Obvious State

The Collection

Books included, all by George Eliot, published by Everyman's Library:

1. Adam Bede
2. The Mill on the Floss
3. Silas Marner
4. Middlemarch
5. Daniel Deronda

Each set is made entirely to order. Please allow two weeks for production.

Please note that customized orders are non-refundable and non-returnable.

FAQs

Why did Mary Ann Evans write as George Eliot?
To be taken seriously in a literary world that often dismissed women novelists, and to keep her private life apart from her work.

What is Obvious State?
A creative studio known for literary art and design, whose collaboration with Juniper Books produced this jacket design.

Where should a new reader begin?
With Silas Marner for its brevity and warmth, or with Middlemarch for Eliot at her fullest.