London: T. Egerton; J. Murray, 1813-1818. Various Editions. Preceding the first Collected Works of Jane Austen (1833) by over a decade. First, second, and third editions, uniformly bound, without half titles, in 19th century half vellum, blue cloth boards, spines lettered in black. Overall a pleasing set, showing only occasional scattered foxing, small marginal tears or early paper repairs not affecting text. Belonging to author and bibliophile Maria Graham and compiled by Austen’s publishers, the present exceptional collection of Austen works predates the first official Collected Works by over a decade and “might then be thought of as forming in a sense the first collected edition of Jane Austen’s works” (Gilson). Passed down through four generations of women, Northanger Abbey’s front blanks contain details on the set’s wonderful provenance; and volumes bear the ownership inscriptions of M. Callcott, 1818; Lucy H. Callcott, 1845; Rosamund Brunel Gotch née Horsley, 1886; and Rosamund Strode, 1949.  

Comprised of:
 
1. Sense and Sensibility (in 3 vols.). London: T. Egerton, 1813. Second edition. 
2. Pride and Prejudice (in 2 vols.). London: T. Egerton, 1817. Third edition. 
3. Mansfield Park (in 3 vols.). London: J. Murray, 1816. Second edition.
4. Emma (in 3 vols.). London: John Murray, 1816.  First edition. 
5. Northanger Abbey: and Persuasion (in 4 vols.). London: John Murray, 1818. First edition. 
 
First purchased in Edinburgh in 1818 by the renowned author and bibliophile Maria Graham, later Lady Callcott (1785-1842), the set conforms to Gilson’s description of a small number of unofficially compiled collected works of Austen that were drawn together in that year using remainder stock from the holdings of both John Murray and Thomas Egerton. This set conforms precisely to Gilson’s notes, consisting of Sense and Sensibility, second edition (Gilson A2), Pride and Prejudice, third edition (Gilson A5), Mansfield Park, second edition (Gilson A7), Emma, first edition (Gilson A8) and Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, first edition (Gilson A9). This same combination last sold at Sotheby’s in June 1993, bound in contemporary half red calf. Notably, these scarce sets precede the officially published Collected Works of Jane Austen by over a decade. Sets of her works would not be widely available to the public until 1833.
 
A historian, travel writer, and avid scholar of philosophy and literature, Graham moved through social circles that included intellectuals such as George Gordon, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Maria Edgeworth, Harriet Martineau, Joanna Baillie, and Jane Marcet.  Discovering Jane Austen’s works during a period of illness when doctors barred her from “stout reading,” she saw something admirable in the novelist's keen observations of daily human interaction (Gotch).  Indeed, in her own work A Journal of a Residence in Chile,Graham would later write that “As to the English, what can I say? They…would require Miss Austen’s pen to make them interesting.”  Having a close relationship with her publisher, John Murray (who was also one of Austen’s publishers) made it possible for her to acquire one of a few sets of the admired novelist’s most important works, all in first or early editions.  Though the two women were prolific writers sharing a publisher and involved in sharing their commentaries about the world, there is no evidence they ever met. The ownership marks that Graham and her beneficiaries left behind are the only testament to their connection, at least for Graham, as kindred spirits.
 
Over time, the set was passed down to three other accomplished women within Graham’s family, including her biographer, Rosamund Brunel Gotch and Rosamund Strode, the keeper of manuscripts at the Britten-Pears Library.  On her death, in 2010, this set was found on top of Strode’s grand piano at her house in Aldeburgh (Thompson). (Item #4062)