A very important yet little known part of Jane Austen’s young life is that one of her first books was, in fact, bought by a publisher who never published it! This book, now called Northanger Abbey, was originally written in 1798-1799. It was then called Susan.
In 1802, when Jane was twenty-seven, she updated it a little bit. Then, with Henry, her brother’s assistance, she sold the manuscript and its copyright for 10 pounds. Benjamin Crosby & Co advertised that very year saying, “In the Press: Susan, a Novel in 2 volumes” (Le Faye). However, year after year passed and the company never published it.
Finally, in 1809, Jane wrote to the publisher, reminding him that it had been six years since he’d promised to publish it. She added that she could provide them with a spare copy, had the first been lost, or else that she would like to have it published elsewhere. Crosby told her she could have the copyright back, provided she pay 10 pounds for it. This came at the time in Jane’s life when her father had recently died and she and her mother and sister had just settled into Chawton House. She did not have the money to pay him back and was forced to let it be.
Finally, however, thirteen years after Crosby had agreed to publish the book, Henry contacted him. Jane was now a famous author, having written four very popular books–but Henry didn’t tell Crosby that. Only after Henry had bought back the rights, using royalties from her books, did he tell Crosby that Susan was by the same author as Pride and Prejudice. No doubt this must have devastated Crosby. What a fortune he had lost!
Jane set about editing her beloved book once again, changing the heroine’s name from Susan to Catherine. She strongly considered publishing it and may have even written an advertisement for the book, but all too soon, discouraged herself from doing so. In 1817, she wrote to her niece Fanny that, “Miss Catherine is put upon the Shelve for the present, and I do not know that she will ever come out…” (Le Faye). It is true that Jane was not eager to have her books published unless they were as correct as they could be, and it is possible she thought that Northanger Abbey would never be good enough. “For though in composition she was equally rapid and correct, yet an invincible distrust of her own judgment induced her to withhold her works from the public, till time and many perusals had satisfied her that the charm of recent composition was dissolved,” remembered Henry (Le Faye).
Sadly, in July of that same year, Jane died and the book that she had wrestled with so much hadn’t been published. After her death, Henry took the manuscript–as well as Persuasion–and arranged to have them published. Presumably, Jane had left her novels untitled, and so it must have been Henry who entitled them. (An Austen tradition said that Jane had referred to Persuasion as The Elliots.) The two books were published in a four-volume set at the very end of December 1817. In fact, it was so near the end of the year, the title page actually dated 1818.
Even though she was not there to see all her works published, Jane Austen was considerably popular in her life. And even though many people did not consider it a good thing for women to make money by writing, Jane Austen didn’t let that stop her–when did a silly fashion ever? And today we can be grateful that a woman like Jane stepped out of the boundaries that society had formed and gave us some of the wittiest accounts of English society in the early 1800s.
Works Cited:
Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen: The world of her novels. London: Francis Lincoln Limited, 2002. Print.
How interesting! I love learning about people. :)