**** All the books have now been sponsored****
Friends of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House are invited to sponsor one of the books listed below with a donation of £180 to cover the cost of much needed repairs.
The Study, and its collection of over 1500 books, is one of the most loved rooms in the House by visitors and volunteers alike. All the books in the collection have, in some way, a link or story that connects it to the Gaskell family and we continue to grow this collection as books are donated or acquired.
Each of the books identified below needs to be professionally repaired so that it can be made accessible to visitors at the House or displayed for future exhibitions. We are asking for a donation of £180 which will cover the cost of the repair work and enable the sponsor’s name to be displayed on the bookplate within the book.
This opportunity is being offered to Friends of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House first and will then be offered to all our supporters.
The books available for sponsorship in 2026
- All The Year Round Annual, Vol 9, 1863 – includes A Dark Night’s Work (sponsored)
- Lancashire Stories Vol 1 by Ben Brierley, 1882 (sponsored)
- The Cornhill Magazine Vol 13, 1866 – includes a chapter of Wives and Daughters (sponsored)
- Lettres Choisies de Mme de SevignéVol 1, 1810 (sponsored)
- The Life and Work of St Paul by Frederick W Farrar, 1895 (sponsored)
- 1st Edition of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell – Volume 1, 1866 (sponsored)
- 1st Edition of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell – Volume 2, 1866 (sponsored)
Find out more about the books and why we have them in our collection below.
If you would like to sponsor one or more of the books listed with a donation of £180, please email sally@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk with your preference.
The books will be sent for professional repair in April/May and will be returned to the House by the Autumn.
Books Available for sponsorship in 2026
1. All The Year Round Annual
Volume 9, 1863.
Includes chapter 9 of Elizabeth’s A Dark Night’s Work as the opening story.
We only have two bound volumes of this journal (Volumes 1 & 9) which was the successor to Dickens’ Magazine Household Words. It eventually reached a circulation of 300,000, eight times that achieved by Household Words. Each weekly issue contained an instalment of a novel, a poem, 3-5 articles designed to appeal to a general audience and occasionally a short story. The first issue contained the opening chapter of A Tale of Two Cities. All The Year Round published A Dark Night’s Work and The Grey Woman by Elizabeth Gaskell, as well as Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and A Woman in White.
The covers of this copy are completely detached.
2. Lancashire Stories by Ben Brierley
Volume 1, published by Abel Heywood, in Manchester, 1882.
Ben Brierley (1825-1896) was born in Failsworth, the son of a hand-loom weaver who had fought at Waterloo and was present at Peterloo. Ben rose from mill worker to author, journalist, and politician. Largely self-taught, he wrote humorous stories in local dialect about Lancashire life and people.
His first published story appeared in the Manchester Spectator and was well-reviewed by the Guardian and other papers. He was a founder member of the Manchester Literary Club; in 1863 the sub-editor of the Oldham Times, and in 1869 he began Ben Brierley’s Journal. In 1875 he was elected to Manchester City Council and served for six years. He died on 18 January 1896 and is buried in Harpurhey Cemetery. Ben had a wide circle of readers and admirers. William Gaskell’s interest and support of Lancashire dialect writers suggest he would have known of Brierley and his work. Research about Ben Brierley has been carried out by Elaine Godina, one of our volunteers.
The paper of our copy has some foxing and the spine is detached.
3. The Cornhill Magazine
Volume 13, 1866. Includes the concluding chapter of Wives and Daughters and a section of Armadale by Wilkie Collins.
The Cornhill Magazine was a monthly magazine founded by George Murray Smith in 1859 and first published in 1860. Thackeray was editor1860-1862 and was succeeded by an editorial committee composed of George Smith, Frederick Greenwood, GH Lewes and later Edward Dutton Cook, a drama critic and author. The Cornhill Magazine aimed to provide high-quality literary content, including serialised novels, short stories, and essays on diverse subjects. It was known for its safe, inoffensive content and featured illustrations by distinguished artists such as George du Maurier, Edwin Landseer, Frederic Leighton, and John Everett Millais
The cover is completely detached and there is at least one loose page.
4. Lettres Choisies de Mme de Sevigné
Volume 1, 1810, Paris
A two-volume book of letters in French. (Repairs are only required to volume 1.)
Mme de Sevigné (1626-1696) wrote thousands of letters describing her life in France during the time of Louis XIV. She became one of the great icons of French Literature, known for the letters mainly written to her daughter over a period of 30 years. They were first published in England, in translation, in 1726.
Our copy is a French edition but we know that Elizabeth was able to read and speak French and was a regular visitor to France. We also know she read and admired the work of Mme de Sevigné. In 1861 she was planning a series of articles on French Life for All the Yea Round, centred on the life and times of Mme de Sevigné. These memoirs were never written, but according to Jenny Uglow, an enjoyable research trip to Normandy provided relief from Manchester’s misery. In 1863 Elizabeth writes to George Smith saying ‘I have ever so many things begun, Life and Times of Mme de Sevigné more in my head than out of it; but I think it will be good’
The covers of this volume are detached and the outer corners are bent and broken.
5. The Life and Work of St Paul by Frederick W Farrar
Published by Cassell,1895
This title, published in 1879 is listed in the Sale Catalogue, suggesting William Gaskell owned a copy. Frederick Farrar was a prominent Church of England clergyman, author and school teacher and from 1871 to 1876 he was chaplain to Queen Victoria. He became a prolific author, writing among other things many school stories including the well-known Eric or Little by Little. This title was published in 1858 as a moral tale and became a publishing sensation at the time.
The Life of St Paul was a popular narrative-driven account of Paul’s life. It circulated in parish libraries, Sunday‑school libraries, middle‑class homes and clergy study groups. It became a standard reference for lay readers who wanted a vivid, readable portrait of the apostle. There is no evidence that Farrar ever met William Gaskell but their interests and circles overlapped, so that it is certainly possible. He definitely knew Charles Kingsley, who corresponded with Elizabeth Gaskell.
Our copy, which once belonged to Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet, has a good quality blue leather binding that is almost completely detached and the spine is very worn.
6 & 7. 1st Edition of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
Two volumes, published by Smith, Elder, 1866. (each volume available to sponsor separately)
Elizabeth’s final novel was unfinished at her death, first serialised in The Cornhill Magazine from August 1864 until January 1866 and then published in book form by Smith, Elder later in 1866.
The board covers of both volumes are completely detached, as are the spines, but these are still present and could be reattached. We are unsure whether or not these board covers are original , as research suggests it was originally published with green cloth covers. Many copies for sale online say rebound, suggesting that the original binding was not very durable.
This is one of the books donated by longtime USA supporter, Nancy Weyant, and it still includes a bookseller receipt from Pittsburgh. This copy has made the journey to the USA and back again.
If you would like to sponsor one or more of the books listed above with a donation of £180 per book, please email sally@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk with your preference.
We also welcome joint sponsorship if several people wanted to sponsor one book.
We will ask all sponsors to make their donation by bank transfer by 1 April 2026. Sponsors will be kept updated on the progress of the book repairs and will be invited to the House for a private viewing later in the year once the books are repaired and available for display.
