[Austen, Jane]

12mo, 4 volumes, first edition, fly-titles for "Persuasion" in volumes 3 and 4, Martha Lloyd's copy with her ownership signatures dated 1822 on titles of all 4 volumes, contemporary quarter calf, marbled boards, speckled edges, all volumes rebacked (volume 3 preserving a portion of the original spine), hinges repaired,  leaves heavily spotted, some gatherings slightly proud

Martha Lloyd (1765-1843), daughter of N. Lloyd and Martha Craven; thence by descent in the Austen family

Gilson A9; Keynes 9; Sadleir 62e

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where 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."

First edition of Jane Austen's celebrated send-up of the Gothic Romance and the copy owned by Martha Lloyd, the author’s dearest friend after her sister Cassandra. In 1789 Martha's widowed mother (also Martha, daughter of the Royal Governor of South Carolina, Charles Craven) and her three daughters moved into the unused parsonage at Deane, Hampshire (only a mile and a half from Jane's house at Steventon), a benefice held by Jane's father Rev. George Austen. Martha and her sister Mary soon developed a close attachment to Jane and Cassandra Austen, creating a lifelong and intimate friendship. Three years later, when Jane's brother James married and assumed the parish of Deane,  the Lloyds moved fifteen miles away to Hurstbourne, but the friendship lasted, with Jane dedicating her early piece of juvenilia Frederick and Elfrida to her. Following George Austen's death in Bath in 1805 the family was left in straitened financial circumstances and Jane, her mother, her sister Cassandra and Martha Lloyd decided to combine housekeeping by moving to Southampton to be with Jane's younger brother Frank and his wife Mary. In July 1809 the four women moved into Chawton, Hampshire, at the invitation of Jane's brother Edward Knight, the family remaining there after Jane's death in 1817. In 1828, at the age of 62, Martha became Frank (now Sir Francis) Austen's second wife.