Janeites Rejoice! Jane Austen at 250

by NICHOLAS MICHALSKI

December 16 marks 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen (1775–1817), one of the English language’s most celebrated writers. Her novels are beloved for their wit, romance, critique of social and literary conventions, and their complex and flawed women characters. Despite Austen’s widespread influence, many aspects of her life remain shrouded in mystery. Austen died at age 41, and a watercolor portrait by her older sister, Cassandra, is the only known likeness of Jane’s face made from life. Cassandra is also widely believed to have destroyed most of Jane’s letters after her death. Jane Austen’s surviving family members sought to carefully control the author’s public image as “good quiet Aunt Jane.” According to Virginia Woolf, much of what we know today about “the most perfect artist among women” comes from “a little gossip, a few letters, and her books.”

UB’s storied Rare Books Collection boasts first editions of five of Austen’s six novels, offering a remarkable chance to encounter her works as they first appeared. Austen’s first four novels were originally published as three volumes each—and anonymously. The title page of her first book, Sense and Sensibility, reads simply, “by a lady.” During her lifetime, Austen’s largest first printing was just 2,000 copies. A 1929 bibliography says of Austen first editions, “To read any of these now in the original boards is a satisfaction which only the very opulent could enjoy.” Like many other books, three-volume novels were commonly rebound for stability and aesthetic reasons. This makes first editions in their fragile original bindings especially rare. Of UB’s first printings, only Pride and Prejudice is beautifully rebound in brown leather and marbled paper, while Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion are just the way readers would have first come across them in the early 19th century.

Several other books supplement these rare originals, including one of facsimile Austen letters and one by a relative tracing Austen’s connection to Lyme Regis, a small coastal town that features prominently in Persuasion. In the Poetry Collection, Austen’s books are found in the personal libraries of James Joyce, Robert Duncan, and Basil Bunting, in addition to the work of many writers Austen inspired.

Whether you’re a veteran Janeite or a newcomer to Austen’s works, this year is the perfect opportunity to explore UB Libraries’ rich resources on the beloved author—no opulence required.