The Old Wives' Tales

First published in 1908 as The Old Wives' Tale, this novel follows Constance and Sophia Baines, daughters of a draper in the pottery town of Bursley. Constance remains in the shop, marries the chief assistant, and lives through the narrowing routines of the Five Towns. Sophia elopes with a commercial traveller, is stranded in Paris, and must make a living through the years that include the siege of 1870. The narrative tracks both sisters from girlhood into old age and a late reunion. The book is a realist novel of two provincial lives, not a collection of folk anecdotes.

Bound in dark brown cloth blocked with a design in dark blue and white. Brown slipcase with a design on the front panel.