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Mystery Of Jane Austen's Inscribed Gift Of "Emma' To Her Friend Anne Sharp For Sale At Bonhams
A rare presentation copy of a first edition book by one of England's greatest female novelists will be sold for an estimated £50,000 at Bonhams on 24 June at 101 New Bond Street, London. The three-volume set of Emma by Jane Austen (1775-1817) - author of Pride & Prejudice, and Sense & Sensibility - is inscribed on behalf of Austen to her friend and governess Anne Sharp.
The British vendor of the book, who wishes to remain anonymous, says: "The novel
had been sitting in my family library for at least three generations and it remains
a mystery as to how the book first got there."
Jane Austen's publisher was asked by the author to send out twelve presentation
copies to friends and family. The copy to be sold by Bonhams was the last on Austen's
list, and was sent to Anne Sharp, who, initially, had been governess to the children
of Jane Austen's brother Edward, and later had remained her good friend.
Jane Austen was evidently influenced by her friend's occupation creating the
governess character of Miss Taylor in her novel Emma.
Bonhams has a strong track record of achieving high prices for first edition copies
of classic literature. In March 2008, Bonhams sold a rare inscribed first edition
of J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit for a world-record breaking £60,000 and in November
2007, it sold a rare first edition of Emily Brontė's tragic love story Wuthering
Heights for £114,000.
The story of Emma was first published in 1816 and follows the perils of misconstrued
romance in Regency England. Emma Woodhouse, a young woman of age 21, is the novel's
main character and is described in the opening paragraph as "handsome, clever,
and rich" but also "slightly" spoiled. She lives in the village of Highbury with
her hypochondriac father and vows that she will never marry. Emma's friend and
only critic is the gentlemanly Mr Knightly - her "neighbor" and brother of her
sister's husband. As the novel opens, Emma has just attended the marriage of Miss
Taylor, her old governess and best friend and having introduced Miss Taylor to
her future husband, Mr Weston, Emma smugly takes credit for their marriage, and,
despite being advised not to by Mr Knightly, embarks on a further bout of matchmaking
with disastrous effects.
Further information and images: Josephine Olley on +44 (0)207 468 8229 or email:
press@bonhams.com
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas.
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