[Brontë (Charlotte, Emily & Anne)], "Currer, Ellis & Acton Bell". Poems, first edition, first issue, Autograph Letter signed by Charlotte Brontë to Aylott & Jones discussing the first edition of the Poems tipped in at front, errata slip at rear, bookplate to front free endpaper, book labels and ink stamp to pastedown, original first issue light green cloth, geometrical design and gilt lettering to upper cover, spine plain, neatly and sympathetically rebacked, retaining original backstrip, spine browned, light fading to margins of covers, preserved in folding chemise and custom morocco-backed slip-case, [Smith 1 pp. 5-6], 8vo, [John Hasler, for] Aylott and Jones, 1846.

⁂ The exceptionally scarce first issue of the Brontë sisters' first publication.

In the autumn of 1845, Charlotte came across a copybook of verse by Emily. She quickly discerned that the poems were good enough to merit publication and urged her sister to consider it. Emily's initial hostility to the idea was overcome in part by Charlotte's agreeing to the use of pseudonyms. Charlotte and Anne contributed poems of their own to the collection (ultimately Charlotte supplied 19, and Emily and Anne 21 a-piece), and on 28th January 1846, Charlotte wrote to the publishers Aylott & Jones asking if they would be willing to undertake publication. The publishers agreed and the poems were published at the sisters' expense of £31 10s. The first issue ran to 1,000 copies but was sadly not a commercial success with only two copies selling. The sisters sent out copies to authors they admired in the hope of boosting sales but to no avail, the remaining 961 copies remained unsold on the shelves of Aylott & Jones until they were purchased by Smith & Elder in 1848 (see lots XXXX).

Provenance: Cornelius Paine (ink stamp to pastedown); John A. Spoor (bookplate to front free endpaper); Frank J. Hogan (book label to pastedown); Arthur A. Houghton Jr. (book label to pastedown, sold lot 55, Christie's, 13th June, 1979).