A nice edition with 6 original illustrations by Edmund Dulac.Agnes Grey is the first novel by Anne Brontë, published in 1847 under the pen name of Acton Bell. The novel follows Agnes Grey, a governess, as she works within families of the English gentry. It is most likely based on Anne Brontë's own experiences as a governess for five years. The choice of central character allows Anne to deal with issues of oppression and abuse of women and governesses, isolation and ideas of empathy. The Irish novelist George Moore praised Agnes Grey as "the most perfect prose narrative in English letters.