Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist known for her keen observations of social manners, class, and gender roles in early 19th-century England. Born in Steventon, Hampshire, she was the seventh of eight children in a close-knit, well-read family. Austen began writing at a young age, producing witty and satirical pieces for her family’s amusement. Despite limited opportunities for women in her time, she published her novels anonymously, beginning with Sense and Sensibility in 1811. Her works gained popularity during her lifetime, though she received little public recognition. She died at the age of 41 and was buried in Winchester Cathedral.

Austen’s novels are celebrated for their sharp wit, strong female protagonists, and exploration of themes such as marriage, morality, and social mobility. Her novels include Sense and Sensibility (1811); Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), and Northanger Abbey and Persuasion (1818). These novels often center on the domestic lives of the English gentry and critique the limited roles available to women. Austen’s precise prose and ironic tone have earned her a lasting place in the literary canon, influencing countless writers and adaptations. Today, she is regarded not only as a master of the novel form but also as a subtle social critic whose insights remain relevant and compelling.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817).]

Pride and Prejudice . London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1815)

Autograph manuscript poem, ‘On the Marriage of Mr. Gell of East Bourn to Miss Gill’, n.p. [Chawton], n.d. [early 1811].

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]. Pride and Prejudice . London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813.

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817). Sense and Sensibility ... second edition . London: for the author by C. Roworth and published by T. Egerton, 1813. 3 volumes. (Lacks half-titles and final blanks, some browning and staining.) Gilson A2; Keynes 2.

YELLOLY, Mary (1816-1838). 'A Picture History of the Grenville Family', [Carrow Abbey, Norwich, 1825 - August 1829], 257 ORIGINAL DRAWINGS IN WATERCOLOUR, most by Mary but also by her mother and siblings, manuscript captions, introductory pages and indexes to each part in a more mature cursive hand, later annotations giving Mary's birth and dates and indicating the artist for each picture, 204 pages, folio (323 x 197mm) , 4 parts in one volume, contemporary half red straight-grained roan, gilt-tooled label on front cover lettered 'Miss Mary Yelloly', endleaves watermarked 1828, flat spine gilt with obelisk tool. Provenance : Mary Yelloly (1816-1838) -- Bryan Hall, Banningham, Norfolk (d. 2006; bookplate).

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]

Sense and Sensibility . London: for the author by C. Roworth and published by T. Egerton, 1811

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]. Sense and Sensibility: A Novel in Three Volumes By a Lady . London: for the author by C. Roworth and published by T. Egerton, 1811.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817).] Mansfield Park: A Novel... By the Author of "Sense and Sensibility," and "Pride and Prejudice." London: T. Egerton, 1814.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]

Mansfield Park: A Novel. London: T. Egerton, 1814

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)].

Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. London: John Murray, 1818.

[AUSTEN, Jane]. Pride and Prejudice . London: Printed for T. Egerton, 1813.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]

Emma: A Novel. London: John Murray, 1816

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]

Emma: A Novel. London: John Murray, 1816.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]

Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. London: John Murray, 1818

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817). Signature ('Yours very affec[tionate]ly, Jane'), cut from a letter, n.d.

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)

Pride and Prejudice . London: T. Egerton, 1813.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817)]

Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. London: John Murray, 1818

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817).] Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion ... With a Biographical Notice of the Author [by Henry Austen]. London: C. Rowarth [vols I-II], and T. Davison [vols III- IV] for John Murray, 1818 [but c. 20 December 1817].

[AUSTEN, Jane]. Mansfield Park: A Novel... By the Author of "Sense and Sensibility," and "Pride and Prejudice." London: T. Egerton, 1814.

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817).] Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion. With a Biographical Notice of the Author [by Henry Austen]. London: C. Rowarth [vols I-II], and T. Davison [vols III- IV] for John Murray, 1818 [but ca. 20 December 1817].

[AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817).] Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion... With a Biographical Notice of the Author [by Henry Austen]. London: C. Rowarth [vols I-II], and T. Davison [vols III- IV] for John Murray, 1818 [but ca. 20 December 1817]. 4 volumes, 12° (169 x 100mm). Half-titles. (Some occasional light browning and spotting, without final blanks P7-8 in vol. IV as often.) Contemporary half calf, leather gilt spine labels, speckled edges (front cover of vol. I nearly detached, front joints cracked and restored in vol. III, extremities lightly rubbed). Provenance : Maria Cipriani (ownership inscription).

[AUSTEN, Jane]. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion . London: John Murray, 1818.

[Jane Austen (1775-1817)]

A pair of chamber candlesticks. 1779

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817). Sense and Sensibility , London: printed for the Author and published by T. Egerton, 1813. 3 volumes, 12° (176 x 105mm). (Lacking half-titles and without final blanks, occasional light spotting.) Contemporary calf, gilt spines (joints splitting, corners very lightly bumped, small blank stain to vol. II).

AUSTEN, Jane (1775-1817). Pride and Prejudice . London: T. Egerton, 1813. 3 volumes, 12° (173 x 115mm). (Lacking half-titles, P2 at end of volume one with small marginal repair, tiny orange marginal mark to L5v of vol. II and lighter mark on a few other leaves, some spotting occasionally heavier.) Contemporary calf (rebacked, extremities lightly rubbed).