[Brontë, Charlotte.]

8vo (195 x 124mm.), 3 volumes, first edition, presentation copy from the author to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey, inscription in recipient's hand on front free endpaper  ("E Nussey | from the author"), publisher's 16pp. catalogue at the end of volume one dated March 1854, 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, spines sunned and with some slight wear, some minor soiling and spotting to text

presented by the author near the time of publication to her lifelong friend Ellen Nussey, presentation inscription in the hand of Ellen Nussey on front free 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 6

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."

Villette was published on 28 January 1853. The date of the publisher's catalogue varies in different copies, from January 1853 to December 1854, according to Smith. The novel was difficult and slow to complete for the author, partly because of the circumstances of her own life, with the unresolved personal relationships with George Smith and James Taylor in the background colouring and mirroring the tale itself. "Experience was slowly eradicating the ancient fallacies of her romantic girlhood. She was gradually moving towards a complete realization of the truth of her particular destiny, and instantly transmuting it into another truth--the truth of art..." (Winifred Gérin, Charlotte Brontë. The Evolution of Genius, p.508). 
The year after publication of Villette was marked, unexpectedly, by Charlotte's courting by her father's curate of seven years, Arthur Bell Nicholls (1819-1906). Charlotte had been shocked when he suddenly declared his passionate attachment: her father disapproved, Nichols left the parish, and Ellen Nussey, perhaps surprisingly, espoused her father's cause (she also considered Arthur Nicholls not good enough for her friend). "Although Nicholls had made little impression on Charlotte, except as a model for one of the more competent curates in Shirley, she was now moved by his obvious love for her, by his distress, and by her own embarrassment at the cruel hostility of her father. A secret correspondence led to their engagement and to Nicholls's return to Haworth..."  (Christine Alexander, Oxford DNB) They were married in Haworth church on 29 June 1854.