1779, second edition, following the exceptionally scarce 1778 first, of the book that revolutionized the romance novel. Published anonymously and to little initial fanfare, Evelina became an astonishing literary sensation, praised by Samuel Johnson. With its publication, Burney became one of the most famous British novelists of her era, and later a favorite of her junior, Jane Austen.
The Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay by Frances Burney, edited by Charlotte Barrett
First edition of the legendary journal of the author of Evelina marking Burney’s transition from acclaimed novelist to famous diarist. Edited by Burney’s niece, it set off a discussion about how public the lives of writers should be.
1794 first edition of the gothic thriller - Jane Austen pays homage to it (and satirises it) in her Northanger Abbey. Radcliffe sold the manuscript for £500, more than double the previous record paid to an English woman. The book was an immediate hit. This copy was first purchased by Sarah Price Clarke, likely the heiress of Sutton Scarsdale Hall, Derbyshire, now a Grade I Georgian ruined stately home.
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Evelina by Frances Burney
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The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
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Coelebs In Search of a Wife by Hannah More
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Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Smith
Coelebs In Search of a Wife by Hannah More
Rare first 1808 edition of this successful novel that combined the plot of courtship novels with the morals of a conduct book, a phenomenon in More’s and Austen’s time, going into 12 editions in the first year and sellings tens of thousands of copies in the US over the next decade.
Emmeline, The Orphan of the Castle by Charlotte Smith
First edition, 1788, of Smith’s popular first novel, referenced as a favorite by characters in Austen’s unfinished novel from her teens, Catharine, or The Bower. This copy features the gilt-stamped monograms of Mary Hill (née Sandys), Marchioness of Downshire, later Baroness Sandys. Hill added extensively to her estate library, with a special eye towards women writers - this was one of five Charlotte Smith novels she acquired.
