Sold for a record $65,000 (£48,510) by Christie’s New York (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) on December 5 was a fine and bright set of George Eliot’s Middlemarch in the original eight parts of 1871-72.
The issue of 5/- parts every two months was the suggestion of Eliot and her partner, George Lewes. However, although readers got more to read in each part than was usual for such serial issues, the higher cost and longer wait between parts meant that Eliot had to work hard to keep readers interested during the longer waiting periods.