First published in 1863. Edited with Introduction and Notes by Shirley Foster. Gaskell's only historical novel, set in 1790 in the town of Monkshaven (Whitby) where press-gangs wreak havoc by seizing young men for service in the Napoleonic Wars. Sylvia Robson's cousin wants to marry her, but she is love with Charley Kinraid, a whaling harpooner subject to the press-gang. In her introduction, Foster discusses the novel's historical and geographical authenticity, and innovative treatment of gender and human relationships. Includes chronology and further reading. Penguin Classics. 1996. Paper. USED. $4.00