Villette

[dothawkes]

Somewhere in my late Dad's attic there is a first edition of Villette by Currer Bell that my Grandad found in a box of books he bought as a job lot in a farm sale before the second world war, the farm was near Ripponden.

As yet the family have not got around to clearing the house as it is too soon, but I am hoping to find the book and intend to hang on to it to pass on to my children, how rare, if at all, is the book?.  My Mum showed it me once in the 1970's and I remember it had a green cover.

d.hawkes 

[Zen]

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?y=12& ;tn=Villette&sortby=1&x=50

Take a look here.

[kempie]

Bear in mind that the listings in that link mention 3 volumes.

[dothawkes]

That was a good site, but there are lots about by the look of it, it was one of my Mum's prize possessions, as we were all born over the tops from the supposed inspiration for Wildfell Hall and Mum brought us all up to read the Brontes from a very early age.

I will make a point of finding the book this weekend and then I can see for myself what it is.  I know that it is quite slim and small, that is as much as I can remember.

Cheers for the link

Dot Hawkes.

[mystress]

Hello dothawkes,

I cannot really comment on the worth of your book(assuming that it IS a 1st Edition) also as kempie mentions that it might have been in 3 Vols (usual in those days).

In the Book World the MOST important thing ,above all else,is condition,condition,condition.If your book is a 1st Edition it could be worth next to nothing if it is in poor condition.DO try and get it out of the attic,extremes of cold and heat will be doing it(and your possible investment) no good at all.Then take it to a REPUTABLE book dealer and get a valuation,but don't be surprised if it is not worth much,very few books are;and those that are are for sometimes very odd reasons(short print runs,first book of later famous author etc).

I may be stating the obvious to you,but you realise that "Currer Bell" was actually Charlotte Bronte.All the sisters took a Nom De Plume, because in those days it was not considered "Ladylike" for women to write novels.

[Peter Pedant]

Hi Dot

just before you break out the champagne, take a look at the following: http://www.dominic-winter.co.uk/

current sale - lot 485 - the guide prices are about a tenth of the advertised book price -and much more in line with what i thought it would be worth.

Villette is a latish novel - Charlotte Bronte was fixated by Prof heger and reworked various themes from The Professor -but being later it means that the print runs were much greater. Poems by Ellis Acton and Currer Bell 1848 - only sold initially 60 copies out of 1000 - and the book value (ha!) seems to be around � 1000-2000 sterling. Villette would be much less

[lindapinda]

Hi Dot,just came across this while trawling around.Did you ever find your book? I haven't read anything else of the Brontes,other than Wuthering Heights,which I read for A Levels.I always loved it,and revision of novels and poems etc. always started with it first.It's lovely to have something like your book in the family.The more family collectables around,the better I like it!

[dothawkes]

Hi Lindapinda,

I trawl too and it is facinating!

I have always been interested in the Brontes due to my Mum being an avid reader, she went to Hebden Bridge Grammar school and was in the year below Ted Hughes.  I think she had been so isolated on the farm when she was growing up, it was high in the Pennines above Hebden Bridge and she didn't have  any sisters, only an older brother.  I think she used to read alot in the evenings to keep from being bored.  I know she had to walk two miles down the hillside intop Hebden to get to school, bnut it was the two miles back up every night that must have been hard work.  I think also living near Haworth and growing up in a similar sort of isolation meant she was very much influenced by the Bronte sisters to read and write, which she passed on to me so much. 

 My favourite book when I was in my late teans was Shirley, which I read just after I left school whilst working in a record shop.

The house I was born in had 2 foot thick stone walls and small narrow sets of windows, it was blackened by mill chimneys too, but I think in the 1860s it would still have been quite grey looking.

[lindapinda]

Hi Dot,that's great family history to have! I've never been anywhere near the Moors area,but it always seemed to be lonely and seductive at the same time! Its putting me in the mood to look up my old W.H. copy and have a wee read! Change of subject here,if you don't mind.Did you see what happened in chatterbank,and Artful has now left A.B.All her posts have been pulled(at her request)so our good Pete thread has unfortunately suffered.