[Brontë, Anne.]

12mo (201 x 120mm.), 3 volumes, first edition, second issue (so-called "second edition"), presentation copy inscribed by the author to the Brontës' great friend Ellen Nussey ("Presented to | Ellen Nussey | by her affectionate friend | A. B. | January 8^{th 1849"), title page replaced with a smaller title page from the first issue, bound without the preface normally present in the second issue, publisher's advertisement leaf at the end of volume 1, original brown cloth spines bound in (Smith's binding variant C), late nineteenth-century polished red calf gilt by Zaehnsdorf, original brown cloth spines bound in, spines in six compartments with morocco labels, top edges gilt, inner dentelles, red coated endpapers, minor spotting, spines sunned and with some slight wear}

presented by the author on 8 January 1849 to Ellen Nussey, inscription on front endpaper; given by Ellen in May 1889 to Sir George John Armytage, 6th baronet of Kirklees (Armytage bookplate and additional printed leaf, c.1889, with full provenance, signed by Ellen Nussey, bound in at the front of each volume); thence by descent

Smith 4; Parrish 91

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A presentation copy of one of the Brontë  sisters' novels, inscribed to their close friend Ellen Nussey in the month when Anne and Charlotte first divluged their true authorships.

It was early in 1849 that Charlotte Bronte first revealed what her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey had suspected for some time: that she and her sisters Emily and Anne were the authors of the Currer, Eliza and Acton Bell novels. Ellen visited Haworth just before 10 January, and Charlotte presented her with a copy of her recently deceased sister Emily's Wuthering Heights (see lot xxx). It seems likely that Anne inscribed this copy of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to her during the same visit. Anne was already unwell at this time, suffering the early stages of the same tuberculosis which also killed her sister. A final, long-planned poignant visit to the seaside at Scarborough in a futile bid to improve her health occurred on 24 May of the same year, with Ellen Nussey accompanying Charlotte and her by now very weak sister. Anne survived the journey, but only by three days, dying on 28 May 1849.

The first issue of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was published on 27 June 1848; the second issue, with first issue sheets, appeared in early September. Although criticised at the time for its "morbid love for the coarse" the novel sold exceptionally well (though Charlotte did not allow re-publication), and it is now seen as an innovative and radical expression of feminist values, "challenging the then current ideal of woman as an 'angel' in the house, submissive to her lot as her husband's chattel" (Margaret Smith, Oxford DNB).

Authorially inscribed presentation copies of any of the Brontë sisters' works are extremely rare.