A rare first edition of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is attracting renewed attention at Longleat as a new adaptation of the classic novel arrives in UK cinemas.
The 1811 edition sits among thousands of books housed in the historic libraries of Longleat House, still bearing the words “By A Lady” used by Austen when the novel was first published anonymously.
At some point, someone has added Austen’s name by hand alongside the original inscription.
Bound in green and brown leather with its title picked out in gold, the relatively modest-looking volume is part of a collection spread across seven libraries at Longleat House.
The book is thought to have been acquired by the 2nd Marquess of Bath around the time of its publication, making it part of a collection with a direct connection to Austen’s lifetime.
Dr James Ford, Curator of Longleat House, said the estate has several links to the author.
“We have a wonderful group of early Jane Austen editions and there are several other links between the estate and the author,” he said.
An invoice discovered last year provides evidence that the 2nd Marquess purchased Mansfield Park shortly after its publication in May 1814.
That suggests Austen’s work was being read at Longleat while she was still alive.
The Marquess also became one of the early owners of Longleat to open the estate to tourists, offering visitors access to the house and park – something which Dr Ford says has echoes of the country-house world Austen depicted in her novels.
“New adaptations such as the one arriving in cinemas this week always create fresh interest in Austen’s novels and the Regency world in which they were written,” he said.
The first edition of Sense and Sensibility remains preserved in one of Longleat’s historic libraries, which visitors can explore as part of the Libraries VIP Tour.
The tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at Longleat’s extensive book collections and the historic spaces in which they are housed.
The latest film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility opens in UK cinemas on 25 September 2026, with Daisy Edgar-Jones playing Elinor Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne.
Fiona Shaw, George MacKay and Herbert Nordrum also star.
Austen’s story follows the Dashwood sisters after the death of their father leaves the family facing financial uncertainty, as the two sisters experience love, loss and the restrictions of Regency society in very different ways.
More information about Longleat House and its Libraries VIP Tours is available from Longleat.
