The opening chapters need no account. A free account opens the whole text.
Cranford
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell · 1853
In the small Cheshire town of Cranford, Mary Smith observes the routines, economies and friendships of a close circle of women. When family news and changing fortunes disturb familiar life, Miss Matty and her neighbors meet each turn with wit, dignity and care.
Inside this edition
Every LitLab edition is illustrated from the text itself — the world of the book mapped, its people drawn, its scenes staged. 41 plates are open to everyone in this book; here are 8 of them.
The Characters of Cranford, Plate 1 of 2
The Characters of Cranford, Plate 2 of 2
Captain Brown, Jessie Brown, and Miss Brown
Cranford — Regional Map
High Street — Shops and Small EconomiesCranford’s High Street holds the town’s errands and visits.
The Characters of the Jenkyns Family
Captain Brown Speaks PlainlyCaptain Brown says aloud that poverty keeps him from taking a house, unsettling Cranford’s social rules.
An Old Love RevisitedMary witnesses Miss Matty and Mr Holbrook meet again after decades.
This edition
- Title
- Cranford
- Author
- Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810–1865)
- First published
- 1853
- Illustrated plates
- 91 original artworks · 41 open to everyone
- Chapters
- 16 · about 70,624 words
- Reading time
- 4 h 42 min
- Language
- EN
- Formats
- Read online · EPUB and PDF download with a subscription
- Publisher
- LitLab — The Illustrated Classics
- On LitLab since
- October 2026
- Rights
- Text in the public domain. Illustrations and edition © LitLab.
Neighbours in the library
Chosen by what they share with Cranford — the same years.