This comprehensive bibliography describes in detail Mrs. Gaskell's English and American editions, including her pamphlets and miscellaneous writings. The entries contain comments on the publication history of the works, bibliographical variants and other relevant collateral topics. The Appendices and nearly sixty excellent photographic reproductions supplement and enhance the descriptions. The catalogue is an essential reference for collectors, booksellers and researchers, and is a necessary resource for all libraries. Upon the death of Mrs. Gaskell in 1865, The Athenaeum referred to her as "if not the most popular, with small question, the most powerful and finished female novelist of an epoch singularly rich in female novelists." In format, style and quality the publication is uniform with Heritage's earlier bibliographies on Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters.