Emma. London: Waverley Book Co., 1892. First Edition Thus. Publisher’s crimson red cloth with gilt title and floral decoration to spine. A very good copy.

First published in 1815, Emma is a comedy of manners centered on a wealthy, clever, and self-satisfied young woman whose misguided passion for matchmaking leads her into a series of romantic misjudgements.

Austen famously declared she was creating “a heroine whom no one but myself will much like,” yet the novel endures as a masterful study of youthful hubris, self-deception, and gradual moral awakening.