Pride and Prejudice First Edition — Identification, Points & Collecting Guide
The Apex of the English Novel Market
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, published in three volumes by T. Egerton in London on January 28, 1813, is among the most valuable novels in the English language. A complete first edition in original boards, with the half-titles present, represents one of the supreme trophies of book collecting — an object that combines extreme rarity, supreme literary importance, universal cultural recognition, and a market that has appreciated steadily for over a century.
The Austen market is the most competitive in English literature collecting, driven by a combination of factors: the novels are universally studied, continuously adapted, and beloved by readers worldwide; the print runs were small (Austen was not especially famous in her lifetime); survival rates for early 19th-century novels in boards are low; and institutional demand (universities, national libraries) competes with private collectors for every copy that surfaces.
First Edition Identification
T. Egerton, Military Library, Whitehall, London, 1813
Physical description:
- Format: Three volumes, 12mo
- Published: January 28, 1813
- Price: 18s. (eighteen shillings for the three-volume set)
- Print run: Approximately 1,500 copies (possibly fewer)
- Author attribution: “By the Author of ‘Sense and Sensibility’” (Austen’s name never appeared on her novels during her lifetime)
Volume breakdown:
- Volume I: [iv], 307, [1] pp.
- Volume II: [iv], 239, [1] pp.
- Volume III: [iv], 323, [1] pp.
Critical identification points:
- T. Egerton imprint on title page (not Richard Bentley, who published the 1833 collected edition)
- “By the Author of ‘Sense and Sensibility’” on title page
- Half-titles present in each volume (frequently removed by later binders)
- Three volumes (the novel was originally sold in this format)
- Original boards (blue-grey or drab paper-covered boards, uncut) — the ideal state
Binding States
Original boards (supreme):
- Blue-grey or drab paper-covered boards
- Paper spine labels (extremely fragile — often lost)
- Uncut or partially cut pages
- This state is extraordinarily rare; perhaps 5–10 complete sets survive in this condition
- Value: $300,000–$1,000,000+
Contemporary half-calf or full calf binding:
- Bound by the original owner shortly after purchase (common practice)
- Period-appropriate leather binding
- Half-titles may or may not survive
- Value: $100,000–$400,000
Later 19th-century rebinding:
- Victorian or Edwardian binding
- Most surviving copies have been rebound at least once
- Value: $50,000–$200,000 (depending on completeness)
Modern rebinding:
- 20th-century leather or cloth
- Reduces value unless by a famous binder (Sangorski & Sutcliffe, Riviere)
- Value: $30,000–$100,000
Print Run and Survival
Approximately 1,500 Copies
The first edition of Pride and Prejudice was published in a run of approximately 1,500 copies (the precise figure is uncertain — Egerton’s records do not survive). A second edition was issued later in 1813, indicating the first sold well.
Survival estimate:
- Institutional holdings: approximately 30–40 complete copies worldwide
- Private hands: perhaps 20–40 complete copies
- Incomplete sets (single volumes, volumes lacking half-titles): more common
- Total surviving copies: approximately 60–80 complete sets
This makes Pride and Prejudice genuinely rare at the level of auction appearance. Complete copies surface perhaps 2–5 times per decade at major auction houses.
Market Values
Current Price Ranges
| State | Value |
|---|---|
| Original boards, complete with half-titles | $500,000–$1,500,000+ |
| Original boards, lacking some half-titles | $300,000–$600,000 |
| Contemporary binding, complete | $150,000–$400,000 |
| Later 19th-century binding | $80,000–$200,000 |
| Modern rebinding | $50,000–$150,000 |
| Single volume only | $15,000–$50,000 |
| Second edition (1813) | $10,000–$30,000 |
Record Prices
Pride and Prejudice has set records at major auction houses:
- Complete sets in original boards have sold for over $1,000,000
- Even incomplete copies regularly sell for six figures
- Prices have approximately doubled every 15–20 years since the 1950s
The Austen First Edition Market
All Six Novels
| Title | Year | Publisher | Print Run | Value (Complete, Good) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sense and Sensibility | 1811 | T. Egerton | ~750 | $200,000–$600,000 |
| Pride and Prejudice | 1813 | T. Egerton | ~1,500 | $150,000–$1,500,000 |
| Mansfield Park | 1814 | T. Egerton | ~1,250 | $80,000–$250,000 |
| Emma | 1816 | John Murray | ~2,000 | $60,000–$200,000 |
| Northanger Abbey / Persuasion | 1818 | John Murray | ~1,750 | $50,000–$150,000 |
Note: Sense and Sensibility is actually rarer (750 copies vs 1,500), but Pride and Prejudice is the most famous title and typically commands higher prices for equivalent condition.
Signed Copies
Non-Existent
Jane Austen (1775–1817) published all her novels anonymously — “By a Lady” or “By the Author of…” — and no signed copies of any Austen novel are known to exist. Her authorship was an open secret in her circle but was not publicly acknowledged until after her death.
Association copies: Copies given by Austen to family members or friends would be the ultimate Austen trophies. A few such copies are documented in institutional collections. Any copy with credible provenance connecting it to Austen or her immediate circle would be essentially priceless.
Why Pride and Prejudice Commands Premium
The Title’s Unique Position
Several factors combine to make Pride and Prejudice the most expensive Austen title:
- Universal recognition: It is the most widely read and adapted Austen novel
- Cultural omnipresence: Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy (1995 BBC), the 2005 Keira Knightley film, countless adaptations
- “It is a truth universally acknowledged”: The opening sentence is among the most famous in English literature
- Romantic appeal: The Darcy-Elizabeth relationship is the template for modern romance
- Larger print run than Sense and Sensibility: More copies exist, meaning more are available, but demand is proportionally even higher
Buying Advice
The Complete Set Problem
The fundamental challenge in Austen collecting is completeness:
- Novels were sold in three volumes — buyers didn’t always keep all three
- Half-titles (the leaf before the title page with just the volume title) were often discarded by binders
- Original boards are paper-covered and fragile — most copies were rebound within decades of purchase
- Circulating libraries (a major market for three-volume novels) rebinds their copies, sometimes discarding preliminary leaves
What to Accept
For most collectors, the hierarchy of desirability is:
- Complete in original boards with half-titles (dream)
- Complete in contemporary binding with half-titles (excellent)
- Complete in contemporary binding, some half-titles lacking (very good)
- Complete in later binding (good — still a significant acquisition)
- Single volume or incomplete set (entry point)
Where Austen Appears
- Major auction houses: Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Bonhams (1–3 complete copies per decade)
- Specialist dealers: Maggs Bros, Peter Harrington, Bauman Rare Books, Jonkers
- Private treaty sales: Significant Austen copies sometimes sell privately without auction
- Institutional sales are extremely rare: Once an Austen goes to a university, it rarely comes back to market
Authentication Concerns
- Edition confusion: The 1813 second edition is sometimes offered as “first” — verify the Egerton title page precisely
- Made-up copies: Volumes from different copies combined to create “complete” sets — check paper stock, type damage, and binding evidence for consistency
- Facsimile title pages: Title pages are occasionally reproduced and inserted into copies lacking them — examine paper under magnification
- The Bentley edition (1833): The first collected edition, much more common, is sometimes confused with the Egerton originals