Books

First Bentley edition, the third edition overall. Here, for the first time, Austen's name appears on the title pages, and the novel is printed in one volume, accompanied by illustrations. Sense and Sensibility was first published in 1811, with the second edition in 1813. In 1832-3 Richard Bentley bought the copyright to all Austen's novels, none of which had been republished since 1818, to include them in his Standard Novels series: a line of affordable one-volume works by significant contemporary authors, with their revisions. The text for Austen's posthumously published novels, however, remained unaltered. Bentley continued to reprint his editions using stereotyped plates for decades. They dominated the market until 1869 and "the vast majority of Austen's readers during this period were therefore most likely to have encountered her work in Bentley's edition" (Halsey, p. 110). This copy is from the original issue, when each novel was published separately; later in 1833, Bentley reissued Austen's work as a set. Octavo (165 x 105 mm). Contemporary half calf, spine with raised bands tooled in gilt and blind, red and black morocco labels, Shell pattern marbled sides, brown speckled edges. Engraved vignette title and frontispiece by William Greatbach after Ferdinand Pickering. Small loss to label not affecting text, binding a little worn, some discreet refurbishment, offsetting to free endpapers, rear hinge cracked but firm, contents occasionally marked, contemporary inscription to final page, later pencil annotations to pp. 70-73. A very good copy. Gilson D1, Keynes 44. Katie Halsey, Jane Austen and Her Readers, 1786-1945, 2013.

Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was her first published work, which she wrote under the pseudonym 'A Lady'. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, as they navigate love, romance, and societal expectations.