Clarissa; Or, the History of a Young Lady. Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life. ... by Mr. Samuel Richardson. in Eight Volumes. of 8;

First published in installments between 1747 and 1748, Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa is a foundational work of the English epistolary novel. Conceived as a moralizing tale told entirely through letters, it chronicles the tragic struggle of the virtuous Clarissa Harlowe against the predatory rake Robert Lovelace. Richardson’s innovative use of the letter format allowed readers to experience the characters' interior lives in real-time, effectively popularizing the psychological depth that would define the genre for decades to come.

The physical design of the original volumes reflected the sober, didactic purpose of Richardson’s prose. As a printer by trade, Richardson was deeply involved in the typesetting and physical presentation of his work, ensuring the layout reinforced the seriousness of his moral project. While the novel was a massive cultural phenomenon upon release, it polarized contemporaries; some praised its profound empathy and realistic depiction of virtue under duress, while others criticized its exhaustive length and intense emotional manipulation of the reader.