One foggy night, Silas' two bags of gold are stolen by Dunstan ('Dunsey') Cass, a dissolute younger son of Squire Cass, the town's leading landowner. He devotes himself wholeheartedly to his craft and comes to adore the gold coins he earns and hoards from his weaving. Silas travels south to the Midlands and settles near the rural village of Raveloe in Warwickshire where he lives isolated and alone, choosing to have only minimal contact with the residents beyond his work as a linen weaver. With his life shattered, his trust in God lost, and his heart broken, Silas leaves Lantern Yard and the city for a rural area where he is unknown. The woman Silas was to marry breaks their engagement and marries William instead. Lots are drawn in the belief – also shared by Silas – that God will direct the process and establish the truth, but they indicate that Silas is guilty. There is the strong suggestion that Silas' best friend, William Dane, has framed him, since Silas had lent his pocket knife to William shortly before the crime was committed. Two pieces of evidence implicate Silas: a pocket knife, and the discovery in his own house of the bag formerly containing the money. He is falsely accused of stealing the congregation's funds while watching over the very ill deacon. Silas Marner, a weaver, is a member of a small Calvinist congregation in Lantern Yard, a slum street in Northern England.

The novel is set in the early years of the 19th century. An outwardly simple tale of a linen weaver, the novel is notable for its strong realism and its sophisticated treatment of a variety of issues ranging from religion to industrialisation to community. Read on in this beautiful red and gold decorative edition - a gem among a bounty of stunning vintage books and classic novels on our online used bookstore.Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is the third novel by George Eliot. “When we are treated well, we naturally begin to think that we are not altogether unmeritorious, and that it is only just we should treat ourselves well, and not mar our own good fortune.”

However when his best friend frames him for stealing some coins, Silas's life takes a dark turn. Silas Marner tells the tale of a poor weaver who is a promising young member of a Puritan religious community. Eliot wanted to write about more serious subjects such as religion, industrialisation and community so chose to write under a male name. She wrote under the pseudonym due to the Victorian views of women only being able to write about romance.

The third book written by Mary Ann Evans under the pen-name George Eliot. George Eliot's Silas Marner is a delightful dose of nostalgia and a lovely gift for you or your favourite bookworm. Our vintage books make beautiful literary gifts.

Silas marner illustrated