Eliot book anniversary celebrated

George Eliot also wrote Silas Marner and Daniel Deronda

Free copies of George Eliot's first novel are being given away to mark its 150th anniversary.

Reading groups across Warwickshire will get copies of Scenes of Clerical Life, which was published in 1857 and set in and around Nuneaton.

Eliot, author of classics such as Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss, was born Mary Ann Evans in 1819 and lived in the county until 1849.

Around 100 groups will get a copy, paid for by the George Eliot Fellowship.

The book, which was published anonymously and set in locations such as Arbury, Chilvers Coton and Astley, attracted good reviews from contemporary writers such as William Thackeray and Charles Dickens.

It follows the fortunes of three characters and the impact that love can have on their lives.

John Burton, chairman of the George Eliot Fellowship, said he was keen to see more people start a reading group and get a copy of the book.

"George Eliot is an integral part of Warwickshire's cultural heritage and we hope the celebration of Nuneaton's most celebrated writer and this opportunity to enjoy her first novel, will turn many people on to the delights of reading."