Brontë, Charlotte | The Professor, the author's first novel, published posthumously

Property from an Important American Collection

Brontë, Charlotte

The Professor, A Tale. By Currer Bell, Author Of "Jane Eyre," "Shirley," "Villette," &C. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 65, Cornhill. 1857

2 volumes, 8vo. Half-titles, uncut, 2 pages of publisher's advertisements at end of volume I, 8 pages of advertisements for the Uniform Edition of the Works of Currer Bell at the end of volume 2, followed by 16pp. advertisements dated June 1857. Publisher's purple cloth by Westley's and Co.; spines sunned, joints and extremities exhibiting slight wear. Collector's blue cloth slipcase with folding chemise.

First edition of Charlotte Brontë’s first novel — the Albert Cohn-Bradley Martin copy.

The Professor, the author's first written novel, was not published until 6 June 1857, two years after her death on 31 March 1855. It had been completed in June 1846, and had been circulated, with her sisters' Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey, to six different publishers at the time, but only the other two novels were accepted for publication.

Following her death, her husband A.B. Nicholls chose to publish the manuscript. Like Villette, The Professor was inspired by her experience in Brussels and her infatuation with Constantin Héger, though, as Nicholls notes in the preface, "these two stories are in most respects unlike".

REFERENCES:

Parrish 96; Sadleir 347; Smith 162-166

PROVENANCE:

A.M. Cohn (bookplate and pencil ownership inscription to pastedowns) — H. Bradley Martin (bookplate to chemise)