Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 0140161031, Paperback)

Marcella is a young woman with a new-womanly independence and a yearning to help the poor. When a gamekeeper is murdered near to where she lives, Marcella discovers herself to be at odds with her wealthy fiancé over beliefs about property and justice. The discovery leads Marcella to pursue – among other things – a career in nursing. The book’s combination of a gripping story with serious issues–socialism, rural and urban poverty, poaching laws, journalistic ethics, the Woman Question–inspired critics to liken Marcella to George Eliot’s novels.

The Broadview edition is the first annotated edition of Marcella, and systematically records the substantive differences between the two major editions published during Ward’s lifetime. Appendices include news accounts of the murder, trial appeals, and executions that inspired the novel, along with previously unpublished letters by Ward.

NB: Mary Augusta Ward has traditionally been known as Mrs. Humphry Ward.