Jane Austen publishes Sense and Sensibility

Background. Jane Austen, an English writer known for critiquing the landed gentry, wrote major novels before age 22 but remained unpublished until age 35. Her works are implicit critiques of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and form part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. The novel originated as 'Elinor and Marianne' and was heavily revised between 1797 and 1798, shifting from epistolary format to third-person narration.

Publication. Thomas Egerton, a London publisher, accepted the manuscript in 1811 for publication in three volumes. The book was issued anonymously as 'By a Lady', a common practice for novelists at the time. It was published 'on commission', a method where the publisher advanced costs and paid the author a percentage of sales, leaving Austen financially liable for the venture.

Reception. Reviews were favourable, praising the novel's realism and character drawing. It became fashionable among young aristocratic opinion-makers. The initial edition of approximately 750 copies, larger than typical for the period, sold out by mid-1813. Austen made a profit of £140 on this first edition, and a second edition was advertised in October 1813.