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“FOR WHAT DO WE LIVE, BUT TO MAKE SPORT FOR OUR NEIGHBORS, AND LAUGH AT THEM IN OUR TURN?”: RARE FIRST EDITION OF AUSTEN’S PRIDE AND PREJUDICE,ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER OF ALL ENGLISH NOVELS, BEAUTIFULLY BOUND IN MOTTLED CALF

AUSTEN, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. A Novel. In Three Volumes. By the Author of “Sense and Sensibility.” London: T. Egerton, 1813. Three volumes. 12mo, late 19th-century period-style full polished mottled calf gilt rebacked with the original spines laid down, raised bands, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, burgundy and green morocco spine labels, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Housed in custom cloth slipcase.

First edition of Jane Austen’s second and most popular novel, one of the most sought-after titles in English literature, a fine copy, with all scarce half titles and in beautiful binding by Riviere & Son.

“The size of the edition is not known… perhaps 1500 copies… The first edition was sold off very rapidly and a second one was printed in the same year” (Keynes, 8). Volume I of the first edition was printed by Roworth and Volumes II and III by Sidney, and their imprints appear both on the versos of the half titles and at the end of the text of each volume. “Elizabeth’s own energy and defiance of character respond to Rousseau’s and the popular notion of the pliant, submissive female… None of her novels delighted Jane Austen more than Pride and Prejudice… She had given a rare example of fiction as a highly intelligent form… This remains her most popular and widely translated novel” (Honan, 313-20). With all of the scarce half titles, often discarded in the binding process (the half title of Volume I is purported by an earlier bookseller to be in facsimile, although it is on 1813 watermarked paper; in any case, most often the half titles are not present). Keynes 3. Gilson A3. Grolier 100, English 100 69.

Two expert marginal paper repairs. A fine copy of this classic of English literature. Rare and important.