1774 – Clarissa by Samuel Richardson | Early English Literature | Harlowe, 8vol Set

Clarissa, Or, the History of a Young Lady, also known as Harlowe, is the story of a young girl who runs away from her parents to get away from an arranged marriage, but is tricked into brothel by the man Lovelace who helps her run away. It was the second novel written by Samuel Richardson. It was regarded as Richardson’s masterpiece and is the longest novel in the English language. The book was most famous in France, where Diderot praised him, and Rousseau in his letter to D’Alembert, says “there is in no language a romance equal to or approaching ‘Clarissa’” (DNB).

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life
• Author(s): Samuel Richardson
• Publisher: London: Printed for J. and F. Rivington, et al.
• Edition: 1774. Seventh Edition
• Binding: Full leather with visible wear to corners and hinges
• Format: (12mo), eight volumes
• Size:  7in x 4.25in (18 cm x 11 cm)
• Collation: Each volume separately paginated
• Illustrations: 8 frontispieces
• Contents Include:
  • Letter-based narrative form
  • Moral and family conflict in upper-class English society
  • Exploration of virtue, resistance, and social pressure
• Reference(s): DNB XVI, 1132

Condition:

Very Good. Bound in period leather, showing moderate wear at edges and hinges. The bindings remain sound and the text blocks are secure. Interiors are largely clean with minimal staining. Each volume contains its original frontispiece.

Why Collect This?

• Notable English epistolary novel, complete
• Popular among French Enlightenment thinkers

Item Number: #29783