60 Great Books - 5 - Bauman Rare Books “Jane Eyre was a triumphant assertion of the inviolability of the individual soul.”—Lyndall Gordon First Edition Of Charlotte Brontë’s Classic Jane Eyre, Beautifully Bound 3. BRONTË, Charlotte, under the pseudonym BELL, Currer. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. London, 1847. Three volumes. Octavo, contemporary three-quarter red morocco gilt. $60,000. Rare first edition of one of the greatest and most popular novels in English literature, in lovely contemporary calf-gilt. Charlotte Brontë’s decision to publish under the pseudonym “Currer Bell” aroused great public curiosity regarding the author’s true identity. Thackeray, Brontë’s literary hero, was sent a prepublication copy, prompting this reply: “It is a fine book… Some of the love passages made me cry… I have been exceedingly moved & pleased by Jane Eyre” (Barker, 535). The demand for Jane Eyre “was almost unprecedented. The first edition… was published on 16 October 1847; it had sold out within three months… By any standard, Jane Eyre was a resounding success” (Barker, 535-37). Bound without half titles and publisher’s advertisements. Wolff 826. Smith 2. Owner ink signature. Volume I expertly rebacked with original spine neatly laid down, text quite clean and fresh. An excellent copy of this rare classic.
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