Pride and Prejudice is one of the canonical works of English literature, and one of the most beloved books of all time. Although it was published almost 200 years ago in 1813, Pride and Prejudice remains one of the It has been named #2 best-loved novel in the UK by BBC, and fifth most popular book on GoodReads.
Publication History
Pride and Prejudice was written between October 1796 and August 1797. Originally titled First Impressions, it was initially rejected for publication. In 1793, Reverend George Austen (Jane Austen’s father), sent a manuscript of the novel to
After extensive re-writing and re-naming, it was published for Thomas Egerton in January 1813. Egerton paid £110 for the rights to Austen’s novel
No manuscript survives of First Impressions or Pride and Prejudice that can be compared to the first edition to see what has been changed. There also has only been two editions of Pride & Prejudice published in Austen’s lifetime, he second being in October 1813, just ten months after the first edition was published.
There has been very little revision done to the first edition. Aside from minor changes, editions that are circulated today are almost identical to the first edition.
Read about the copy of Pride and Prejudice at UBC Rare Books and Special Collections.
References
- “The Big Read Top 100”. BBC. bbc.co.uk
- “Popular All-Time Favorites Books”. Goodreads. goodreads.com
- “Texts and Editions” by Brian Southam. From A Companion to Jane Austen, edited by Claudia L. Johnson, Clara Tuite.