探花直播Royal Crescent in Bath

Jane Austen fans will have a rare chance today (18 July 2017) to see the manuscript of the novelist鈥檚 final (unfinished) novel at King鈥檚 College. 探花直播one-day exhibition in the College's Old Library marks Austen鈥檚 death 200 years ago and is open to the public.听

A digital version of Sanditon is available but we want people to have the chance to see the manuscript itself.

James Clements, King's College Librarian

When Jane Austen died on 18 July 1817 she had been working on a new novel.听With four published novels (all published anonymously), she had accrued an enthusiastic following. 探花直播title she chose for this latest book was 探花直播Brothers. After her death, it was released as Sanditon, the name of the seaside town that features in the story.

探花直播three notebooks in which Austen wrote Sanditon are among the greatest treasures held by King鈥檚 College Archive. 探花直播College will today (18 July 2017)听display two of these notebooks in an exhibition in its Old Library. 探花直播remaining notebook is on loan to the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Sanditon is the star attraction of a Jane Austen Open Day organised to display around 40 items. 探花直播objects, arranged in three cases, comprise books and letters 鈥 and together represent King鈥檚 College鈥檚 biggest-ever display of Austen-related material.

探花直播autograph manuscript of Sanditon can only be described as priceless. 探花直播manuscript is rarely displayed as both the ink and paper used are vulnerable to light. It was last shown to the public for one day in 2013. Due to the significance of this year's anniversary, it will be displayed again later this year at .

鈥淎 . of Sanditon is available but we want people to have the chance to see the manuscript itself,鈥 said Dr James Clements, King鈥檚 College Librarian.

鈥淲e know that Jane began writing Sanditon in January 1817 and that her last entry is dated 18th March 1817, by which time she鈥檇 completed 12 chapters. 探花直播novel begins with a carriage accident and charts familiar Austen territory with its wry and witty exploration of society politics.鈥

探花直播Sanditon manuscript was given to King鈥檚 College in 1930 by Austen鈥檚 great-great niece, Mary Isabella Lefroy, whose brother-in-law (Augustus Austen-Leigh) had been Provost of the College. 探花直播letter in which she talks about giving the notebooks to the College is on display. In it, she presents Sanditon in memory of 鈥渢he most popular Provost, and Provostess 鈥楰ings鈥 has ever had鈥.

Also on display are first editions of the Austen novels published in her lifetime: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma, all published anonymously. Only after Austen鈥檚 death, when her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were first published in December 1817 (also in the exhibition), was she identified as the author.

探花直播Georgian town of Bath figures in several Austen novels. A copy of 探花直播New Bath Guide for 1807, on display alongside the first edition of Persuasion, sets the scene with stunning engravings of life at the fashionable spa.

Other items of interest in the exhibition include a letter from Austen to her publisher, in which she takes a reviewer to task, and examples of early editions of Austen鈥檚 novels, including the first edition of Emma to appear in the USA, and a Railway Library edition of Pride and Prejudice 鈥渋n fancy boards鈥 priced one shilling.

探花直播Jane Austen Open Day at King鈥檚 College takes place today (18 July 2017) from 10am to 4pm. For details and directions, go to 听 There will be another chance to see the听display as part on 8 and 9 September 2017.

探花直播exhibition has been made possible through a cataloguing and outreach project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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