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. 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 2025
- The Manchester Man by Isabella Banks (now sponsored)
- The Professor by Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte)
- Poems by Byron
- Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell – Volume I
- Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell – Volume II
- Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell – Volume III (now sponsored)
- Howitts Journal, Vols II & III combined (now sponsored)
- Macmillan’s Magazine Volume IX (now sponsored)
- Historical Sketches of Nonconformity in the County Palatine of Chester by Various Ministers and Laymen in the County (now sponsored)
- Munera Pulveris: Essays on the Elements of Political Economy – by John Ruskin, Volume II
- Aratra Pentelici: Six Lectures on the Elements of Sculpture by John Ruskin, Volume III (now sponsored )
- The Prelude by Wordsworth
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 per book, please email sally@elizabethgaskellhouse.co.uk with your preference.
The Manchester Man, Isabella (Mrs Linnaeus) Banks
Published by Abel Heywood, 1896. Donated by Robert Poole in 2024.
This historically important novel about Manchester was first published in 1876 so later than Elizabeth Gaskell’s time, but it is likely to have been read by Julia and Meta. It is an important social and historical novel, telling the story of Manchester from the Napoleonic Wars to the first Reform Act. It gives vivid accounts of the Peterloo Massacre and Corn-Law riots.
Born Isabella Varley, the author contributed to local publications including The Manchester Guardian and Oddfellows’ Magazine. She had an interest in Manchester’s history and political development very much like the Gaskells.
This is a large format, extensively illustrated edition with a number of pull-out maps and high-quality illustrations including aone of the poet Samuel Bamford. The book has a detached binding, torn spine and one of the pull out maps needs repair.
The Professor by Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte)

Published by Smith, Elder, 1864
Charlotte Bronte’s first novel, though not published until 1857, after her death. This is an early edition, still using the pseudonym Currer Bell. It also contains adverts in the back for the other ‘Bell’ books.
There are many references to The Professor in Elizabeth’s letters: When Elizabeth is starting to plan her Life of Charlotte Bronte, she complains that Mr Nicholls will not allow her to see The Professor even though Patrick Bronte has asked her to express opinions on Charlotte’s published work. Later in July she writes that she has had a successful visit to Haworth and has come away with The Professor. By 13 Aug she has read it and says to George Smith, she thinks it inferior to her published works ‘but shows the promise of much that was afterwards realised.’
Elizabeth declined taking any responsibility as to advising for or against its publication, the decision must stay with Mr Nicholls. He did give permission, and this edition contains a note from him.
This edition has a torn spine.
Poems by Byron

Published by Routledge, date unknown.
While we do have two other collections of Byron’s work this is an attractive and highly decorated edition.
Although well-brought up girls were not supposed to read Byron because of his scandalous reputation, Elizabeth’s biographer, Jenny Uglow, says that most did. Elizabeth often quoted Byron and sent a written criticism of his poetry to her father after she left school. She included his words in epigraphs in her novels and in Wives and Daughters Hyacinth boasts that Cynthia can recite Byron’s Prisoner of Chillon– which has 400 lines.
The cover of this book is loose, almost detached.
Sylvia’s Lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell – 3 Volumes

Third edition, published by Smith, Elder, 1863
This is an early edition of Sylvia’s Lovers (first published in 1863) and is in very poor condition. The back boards of two of the volumes are detached and the spines of all three are torn.
Volume III contains the signatures of several owners, one from 1865, another from 1925. Also in pencil the name Richardson, a bookseller in Manchester. There is also an old photo of Whitby pasted in to the front-end paper of volume I.
We have very few copies of Sylvia’s Lovers in our collection. All three volumes need to be repaired.




Howitts Journal Volume II & III combined
Published by William Lovett, 1847-8. Donation by Elizabeth Williams
Howitt’s Journal was a weekly periodical written and published by William and Mary Howitt for 18 months Jan 1847- June 1848. It was a progressive periodical with a political agenda, but it struggled to gain a wide readership as it tended towards being serious and improving rather than entertaining. The 26 issues in total, were later collected and re-published in three volumes. (We are still searching for a copy of Volume I.)
The Howitts were a married couple and prolific writers, also friends of Elizabeth Gaskell who had encouraged her early writing. When they began their Journal in 1847, Elizabeth sent them three stories as well as two essays, which appeared under the pseudonym Cotton Mather Mills. These stories were Libbie Marsh’s Three Eras, The Sexton’s Hero, and Christmas Storms and Sunshine.
We believe these to be the only examples in our collection that use Elizabeth’s pseudonym in print.
The book has a torn spine and the back board is loos. We hope to repair it before it deteriorates further.
Macmillan’s Magazine Volume IX
Published in 1864. Donated by Elizabeth Williams.
This is the only volume of Macmillan’s Magazine which we currently have in our collection.
Macmillan’s Magazine was a monthly British magazine published 1859 to 1907 by Alexander Macmillan. It was a literary periodical that published fiction and non-fiction works primarily by British authors. There are at least three references to Macmillan’s in Elizabeth Gaskell’s letters.
This particular volume contains an essay by Elizabeth Gaskell about Robert Gould Shaw who was an American officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born into an abolitionist family from the Boston upper class, he accepted command of the first all-black regiment in the Northeast.
Elizabeth had met his family in Paris in 1855, though not Robert himself. At the opening of the article she says: ‘I should like some of the readers of Macmillan to remember the name of the late Colonel Robert Gould Shaw as the name of one who gave up his life for what he believed to be right- deliberately risked and cheerfully laid down, a prosperous, happy beloved and loving life.’
The spine is torn and front cover is detached.
Historical Sketches of Nonconformity in the Co Palatine of Chester by Various Ministers and Laymen in the County.
Published in London by Kent & Co and in Manchester by Septimus Fletcher, John Dalton Street, 1864. Donated to the House via Ann Peart from Unitarian College Manchester.
An old and interesting historical work which is appropriate for our collection of church history items. The first few pages are detached but a pull-out map of Cheshire is intact.
It is a very comprehensive guide to non-conformist churches and the history of dissent from the established church, culminating in the 17th century from which Unitarianism grew during the 18th century.
There is an Essay on Knutsford Independent Chapel (not Brook Street Unitarian Chapel) which originated in 1770.
This book has very worn edges and detached pages.
Munera Pulveris: Essays on the Elements of Political Econo (Vol II) and Aratra Pentelici: Six Lectures on the Elements of Sculpture by John Ruskin
Published by Smith, Elder, 1872 – part of a 14 volume set owned by the House.
Elizabeth Gaskell deeply enjoyed Ruskin’s work and was keen to read his books as soon as they were available. Her acquaintance with him and his parents deepened in the 1850s. In April 1855 on a visit to London, she writes to her daughter Marianne that she is ‘planning to go out to Denmark Hill to call on Mrs Ruskin.’
The acquaintance was also developed through her second daughter, Meta’s, interest in art. Ruskin visited Manchester, and when he gave a series of lectures for the Art Treasures Exhibition in July 1857 and Elizabeth records her disappointment that he didn’t visit the family at Plymouth Grove
Almost all the items in our Ruskin Collection contain the name of Dame Mabel Tylecote, who was a pioneer for women’s education and became a leading figure in Manchester’s political and civic life. These two volumes also contain the inscription John Ernest Phythian, who was Mabel’s father and a founder of Manchester’s John Ruskin Society.
The Prelude by Wordsworth

Published by Moxon, 1850. Donated by Tony Bray.
Wordsworth worked on his long poem for many years and the earliest published version is known as the Two-part Prelude. This volume is a first edition of the first posthumous edition of The Prelude.
Charlotte Bronte sent Elizabeth a present of The Prelude, after their first meeting in 1850. As Charlotte was sending the book in August 1850, we know it must have been a first edition, as it was first published by Edward Moxon in 1850. The second edition didn’t appear until 1851.
Elizabeth and William Gaskell met Wordsworth in 1849, the year before his death and obtained an autograph. The front cover of this book has detached.
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 2025. 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.
Thank you for your continued support.
All the team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House