Toilers of the Sea (1866) is a novel by Victor Hugo. Written while Hugo was living in exile on the island of Guernsey, Toilers of the Sea is a story of adventure that expresses the everyday struggles of a fool in love while capturing the changes wrought by political and economic revolution in Europe. “Gilliatt lived in the parish of St. Sampson. He was not liked by his neighbours; and there were reasons for that fact.” Viewed as an outsider by the seafaring community of Guernsey, Gilliat lives alone in a house deemed haunted, though no one would dare visit him anyway. Despite his skill as a fisherman, the townspeople claim he is a malevolent sorcerer, all but condemning him to a life of total seclusion. In love with the niece of a prominent shipowner, he volunteers to salvage what he can from a vessel that was wrecked some distance from the coast. Braving the elements and coming face to face with a vicious octopus, Gilliatt seizes his only chance at escaping his lonely circumstances, at finding love at last. This edition of Victor Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.