NORTHANGER ABBEY and PERSUASION

New York: Frederick A Stokes Company, 1890. A very scarce nineteenth century printing. Small 8vo, publisher’s original maroon cloth over floral paper covered boards, attractively decorated and lettered in gilt on the covers, spine lettered and tooled in gilt, t.e.g. 446 pp. A handsome copy, well preserved. A VERY SCARCE NINETEENTH CENTURY IMPRINT. FROM THE WORKS OF JANE AUSTEN. NORTHANGER ABBEY was written in 1798 but Austen was unable to find a publisher for it. Finally, in 1803 she sold it to a bookseller in Bath for Ł10. who tucked it away. Eventually, it was sold back to the author for the original price and was not actually published until after her death. NORTHANGER ABBEY was one of Sir Watler Scott’s all time favorite novels, and he is said to have read chapters of it at his evening gatherings.
Both NORTHANGER ABBEY AND PERSUASION were finally issued in 1818.
“PERSUASION was not begun until EMMA was finished, and it was completed in August 1816, not many months before Miss Austen died. During its progress, indeed, her health had been slowly failing. Nevertheless, she worked at PERSUASION with little abatement of her creative power...”
“Recognition came to Miss Austen slowly. But she is now firmly established as an English classic...Miss Austen had always her panegyrists among the best intellects-such as Coleridge, Tennyson,Macaulay, Scott, Sydney Smith, Disraeli and Archbishop Whitely, the last of whom may be said to have been her discoverer. Scott’s testimony is often quoted: ‘That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements, feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I have ever met with. The big bow-wow I can do myself like any one going; but the exquisite touch which renders commonplace things and characters interesting from the truth of the description and the sentiment is denied to me.’” - EB
Austen’s popularity seems to never weaken and she is as widely loved today as ever. Nineteenth century editions of her works have become quite elusive and are always in demand.