Library's first edition reveals Austen's early fans

A first edition of Jane Austen's debut novel has shed light on the author's connection with one of Britain's historic country houses.

The 1811 first edition of Sense and Sensibility is on the shelves at Longleat House in Wiltshire, with its title page still carrying the anonymous attribution "By A Lady".

It is thought to have been acquired by the 2nd Marquess of Bath around the time of its publication which historians say is evidence Austen was being read by the elite social class during her lifetime.

Dr James Ford, curator of Longleat House, said the estate had "a wonderful group of early Jane Austen editions", including Emma and Pride and Prejudice.

Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters after their father's death leaves the family facing financial uncertainty. It follows the very different ways two young women navigate love, loss and society.

Bound in green and brown leather with a gold title, the relatively unassuming volume is among thousands of books in the seven historic libraries at Longleat House.

It is presumed Jane Austen signed her first novel "By a Lady" to maintain her anonymity.

Writing novels for money or public fame was generally considered unfeminine and improper for women of the gentry class during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Her identity as the author only became widely known after Austen's death in 1817, when her brother Henry identified his sister in a biographical notice.

The libraries at Longleat House contain a total collection of around 44,000 historic books, including first editions of Emma and a second edition of Pride and Prejudice.

The edition is evidence that during her lifetime, Austen's books were being read and collected by the elite social class - the very social circle she depicted in her novels.

"An invoice we discovered last year records the 2nd Marquess purchasing Mansfield Park shortly after it was published in May 1814," Ford said.

"He was also one of the first owners of Longleat to open his park gates and hall door to early tourists, rather like the country house visit Austen evokes when Elizabeth Bennet arrives at Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice."

The historic libraries and rare book collections at Longleat can be visited as part of its Libraries VIP Tour.

A new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility arrives in UK cinemas on 25 September.

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