This book is a collection of stories written by Elizabeth Gaskell published in different magazines when written from the 1840s to 1865.

I absolutely loved reading 'Cumberland sheep-shearers' - one of the stories in this collection as it gave me the English/Victorian perspective on a visit to a Cumberland sheep farm. I was delighted to see that Gaskell referred to the influence of Australian wool.

Thanks Mrsgaskell for your patience! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

This has arrived safely in Winnipeg - thanks Geileis! With the exception of "The Grey Woman", all these stories are new to me.

Thanks also for the bookmark, magnet, and postcard! The magnet has joined the collection on my refrigerator door. I've never visited Australia before but hope to remedy that situation when I retire.

I enjoyed this collection of Gaskell stories very much. My favourite was the novella, A Dark Night’s Work. It’s the story of Ellinor Wilkins, the devoted daughter of a prosperous conveyancing attorney. Handsome, accomplished, and gentlemanly Edward Wilkins is nevertheless considered somewhat inferior by the county gentry. His taste for the finer things in life eventually leads him to neglect his business affairs and ultimately this leads to tragedy and sorrow for both him and his daughter. The characterization, plot, and conclusion were all very satisfying. The remaining stories were Libbie Marsh’s Three Eras, Six Weeks at Heppenheim, Cumberland Sheep Shearers, and The Grey Woman. I’d read The Grey Woman before, it’s in Gaskell’s collection of Gothic Stories, but the others were all new to me. Cumberland Sheep Shearers was perhaps “everything you wanted to know about sheep farming but were afraid to ask” but it was a beautifully detailed picture of rural life in Victorian times.

Thanks you very much Geileis for sending me this! I'm always pleased to read more of Gaskell's works. I hope to pass on the book to another reader who'll enjoy it.

This book has already travelled all the way from Australia to Canada and it is now about to set out on another journey. It's heading to Nu-Knees in the UK - and the especially exciting thing is that it's not going by post - I'm going to deliver it personally!

Looking forward to our meeting, Nu-Knees, and hope you enjoy the book!

After a disastrous school experience with Cranford when I was about 12, it was at least 40 years before I could bring myself to read anything else by Elizabeth Gaskell! When I did, of course, I realised what I'd been missing and have been a big fan of hers ever since. Thank you very much, mrsgaskell, for this one which I haven't yet had the pleasure of enjoying. In fact, I don't think I've tried any of her short stories so I'm really looking forward to these. And my thanks to Geileis for the initial registration in the first place!
It's been great to meet Mr and MrsG this weekend; Mr N-K and I have had a great time showing you around our beloved Knaresborough/North Yorkshire :-)

Reporting that I've now read the first story in this collection, at 166 pages it's a novella rather than a short story, apparently originally called A Night's Work until Dickens added the Dark when he published it in his magazine.
I loved it, it's as well written as I'd expect from Elizabeth Gaskell, dramatic, possibly even melodramatic, a strong story line with some memorable characters, and a very satisfying ending that for a while didn't look to be happening!
Thanks again to Geileis and mrsgaskell. At the moment I'm torn between wanting to keep this on my keeper shelves in my collection of classics and releasing it to share the reading pleasure with other readers!

I've now read and enjoyed the other four short stories in this collection and, like mrsgaskell, I think I preferred the title tale!
Libbie Marsh's Three Eras: a gentle story of love and friendship, life and death among the working classes in Manchester
Six Weeks at Heppenheim: an Englishman is taken ill in rural Germany while touring the Continent and gets involved in the lives of the locals at the time of the grape harvest
Cumberland Sheep Shearers: everything you ever wanted to know about the Victorian shepherd's year, concentrating in particular on shearing time - I think this is my favourite of the four shorter stories, possibly because we spent five very happy years living not far from Keswick in the late 70/early 80s and have fond memories of some of the places mentioned, including Watendlath :-)
The Grey Woman: we're back in Germany, plus spending time in France, for this gothic-style story of baddies in the forest performing dastardly deed in the night-time! Great fun!
Thank you again, mrsgaskell and Geileis, for an interesting reading experience! I do enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell's writing style.

This has languished on my keeper shelves for long enough. It's time it found its way back out into the big wide world to entertain another reader. Unfortunately it's beginning to look as though it's been around the block a few times .... I think it probably has .... :-)

As the book cover above is a generic No Book Cover, I've scanned the actual cover in here - complete with age creases and BookCrossing sticker!

BookCrosser kirjakko is visiting York, so a few BookCrossers are gathering to meet her on Saturday afternoon.

This is one of the books I'm bringing with me to share.
If it's not claimed, then it'll be left on the permanent bookshelves within this delightful pub.

Over a million people around the world give their books a unique BookCrossing IDentity number (BCID) before sending them out to find new readers. Since the start of the scheme in April 2001 more than ten million such books have been put into circulation. This is one of them!

Our hope is that we can track the progress of our books once they've left our hands - and that's possible if finders like you visit the website, key in the BCID and leave a comment, however long or short. It's fun, it doesn't have to cost anything, although the site always appreciates donations towards running costs, and you can remain anonymous if you wish. You don't have to join but if you do you'll be able to number and track your own books!

These were rather good! From the blurb on the back cover, I thought they'd be much darker and more eerie. Only two of the five stories were macabre, and really the horror there dealt with social implications more than the Gothic. But I'm coming to really like Gaskell's writing - she's got an eye for class and social details without being condescending.

To be released at the York monthly Bookrossing meetup.

I'm sure I can get these titles on Kindle, but having the collection will be useful. A mixture of crime, gothic and other short stories. Looks good.

Unread, but I have all the stories as ebooks so bringing along for the short story theme for others to experience.

Picked up last night at Brigantes Bar in York.