Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA)

I've Put it on my Wish List!

 

Recently Livia Zaharia, a member of our Jane chapter visited England with her husband and young daughter.  Naturally no self-respecting member of the Jane Austen Society would pass up a chance to do some nosing around for Jane artefacts – and look what she found! 

 

 

The bookstore is Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland. It's one of the largest second hand bookstores in Britain. They had a couple copies of different Jane Austen novels but nothing noteworthy. So I asked the shopkeeper if they had anything older. He asked "How old? (with big smile on his face). I replied "As old as you have". I told him I was part of the Jane Austen Society back in Canada. He said, "Then you are going to love this" and told me to follow him. He took me to the back of the store where there were books behind glass. He opened the case and handed me the set (The 1818 first edition of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey and Persuasion). He let me take the books out and flip through them. The pages were yellowish but it was in very good condition. I asked my husband if I could put it on my Visa; that it would be great investment piece. He said no. Oh well maybe someday.... :)