Despite the fame of writer Jane Austen, precious little detail is known about her private life. The only image of her in existence is an amateur portrait by her sister, and only a fraction of the letters she wrote have survived. This should make Sotheby’s announcement of the auction of a privately owned autographed manuscript by the author all the more exciting for bibliophiles.
Dated at 1804, this copiously drafted manuscript of “The Watsons” represents the earliest surviving specimen of a novel by Jane Austen, and stands as the single most important Austen item to be up on the market in recent years. “The Watsons”, which was unpublished during Austen’s lifetime and remains incomplete, offers collectors and scholars a glimpse into the writing and creative process of one of Britain’s most lauded authors.
The incomplete version of “The Watsons” was formerly owned by her descendant Joan Austen-Leigh. The first twelve pages of the 68 hand-trimmed manuscript were sold during the First World War for the benefit of the Red Cross, and are now in the Pierpoint Morgan Library in New York.
It will be exhibited in New York from June 11 to 17, before heading for Sotheby's English Literature and History auction in London on July 14. The exquisitely penned pages in Austen’s tiny, precise hand are expected to fetch £200,000-300,000.
Comments