By Northern Seas (1887) - Mary Bell, 1st Edition - Nautical Fiction

2026-03-01T20:59:34-05:00

Price: 125.00

By Northern Seas by Mary Bell.
London: Church Extension Association, 5 & 6 Paternoster Row, 1887. First Edition. 357 pages + 3 pages of publisher’s advertisements at rear.

A striking example of late-Victorian decorative cloth binding, issued in deep navy blue cloth with elaborate multi-color floral and gilt stamping to the front board and gilt lettering to spine.

Binding tight/sound. Gilt/color stamping remain vibrant. Patterned floral endpapers. Frontispiece illustration. Interior clean. Minor bumping to spine edges with very minor wear to top spine edge. Some minor foxing to page edges. Early 1912 gift inscription to front free endpaper. 357pp.

A coastal narrative set in the north of England, weaving maritime life, working communities, and moral tension against the atmospheric backdrop of the northern seas. The prose is distinctly Victorian in tone, with strong regional character and nautical scenes — including fishing boats, storms, and village life.

Mary Bell was a late 19th-century English novelist known for her character-driven stories set in northern coastal communities. Writing during the height of the Victorian era, she explored themes of faith, resilience, and working-class maritime life, often reflecting the moral tone associated with Anglican-influenced fiction of the period. Though not widely reprinted today, her works remain of interest to collectors of Victorian women writers and regional nautical literature. First editions in original decorative cloth — especially in well-preserved condition such as this — are increasingly scarce, making attractive copies particularly desirable to collectors of 19th-century publisher’s bindings and maritime fiction.

Condition: Very Good.

Size: 5 1/4” x 7 1/2”

A handsome and increasingly scarce Victorian coastal novel in original publisher’s cloth.