1951 Volume the Third / 1st Edition of Austen's Manuscript of Early Writings

In excellent condition, here is a super first edition copy of Volume the Third which in turn was the first printing of these works from the original manuscript. Published in 1951 by Oxford at The Clarendon Press.

Volume the Third is one of three notebooks that the teenage Jane Austen filled with her early experiments in writing. The manuscript takes its name from the inscription on its upper cover. Jane Austen used a ready-made bound blank stationer’s notebook. It contains two early novels, ‘Evelyn’ and 'Kitty, or the Bower’, later retitled ‘Catharine’, neither of which is finished in Austen’s own hand. 'Kitty’ marks a maturing of Austen’s youthful style, and the story’s heroine has characteristics in common with later heroines, notably Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. The Contents page is signed ‘Jane Austen – May 6th 1792’. The hand is mostly that of Austen but it is thought that as the manuscript was handed down through the family different hands added to the work. Volume the Third was the last of the three notebooks to be published, edited by R. W. Chapman in 1951 in an edition uniform with his earlier transcriptions of Jane Austen's later fiction manuscripts and Volume the First. Chapman had not received family permission to publish Volume the Third until 1949 and it remained in Austen family hands until late in the twentieth century.

This copy is one of those 1951 1st editions and is in excellent condition. Pages are clean, crisp and bright, with no writing or other markings of previous ownership. Unillustrated.

In grey papered boards with cream linen spine. Also in top order. Has tanning to the outer edge of the spine. With one faint dark mark in the top corner on the front. Has some faint mottling/fading to the grey coloured paper, but this is minor. Still has the original spare paper title plate inside the back of the book.

A superb first edition of a scarce and interesting Jane Austen work for the enthusiast. Your copy of Volume the Third will be wrapped with care in tissue and ribbon* and sent well packaged. I am always happy to add a gift card with a message to the parcel.

FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE
BOOKS ARE TARIFF FREE TO THE US - so you can order as usual with confidence.

H 18.5 cm x W 13 cm, 133 pages, 0.24 kg. I dispatch worldwide daily from the UK. With the exception of a small number of countries.

* If you would prefer for your book not to be decoratively wrapped but sent simply in the full protective packaging please add a note to the order.

I post my latest updates and news on Instagram @bumperboxofdelights