'Nevertheless my best'

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News of the tiny book by Charlotte Brontë that's to be auctioned at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair later this month continues spreading around the globe. From CNN:

The manuscript, dated December 1829, has not been seen publicly since it was sold in New York in 1916, according to Henry Wessells, an associate at James Cummins Bookseller. It was recently found in a private collection, he said.

Stitched together in its original brown paper covers, the 15 pages tell tales involving the "sophisticated imaginary world" of Brontë and her siblings, according to a press release from the dealers.

"They wrote adventure stories, dramas, and verse in hand-made manuscript books filled with tiny handwriting intended to resemble print," the release says.

Cummins along with Maggs Bros are the two dealers selling the work at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair on April 21 at the Park Avenue Armory.

"The manuscript was last in the public eye in 1916, and we all love the story of an unexpected survival," Wessells told CNN in an email. "Now the owner wishes to ensure that it is preserved for future generations, and, ultimately, made available to scholarship."

Miniature Brontë manuscript sparks bidding war

Wessells described the manuscript as "a beautiful little thing" that was carefully put together from household scraps of paper and sewn with the original thread.

"The following are attempts at rhyming of an inferior nature it must be acknowledged but they are nevertheless my best," Brontë writes on the manuscript's title page. And at the end of the book, she asserts creative control over the imaginary world created by herself and siblings.

"Just think of the Brontë children telling and writing stories among themselves, learning at home in a remote village, and then blossoming, briefly, to write the books that have been read by millions ever since, and also leaving behind hand-made things such as this manuscript," said Wessells, who marveled at how the book survived over the past century. (Aya Elamroussi)

Also on Barron's:

The 15-page manuscript, smaller than a playing card, is stitched in its original brown paper covers, according to James Cummins Bookseller of New York, which will be handling the exhibition and sale of the manuscript in collaboration with Maggs Bros. Ltd., a London-based bookseller.

The manuscript has not been seen publicly since it was sold in New York in 1916; it was recently rediscovered in a private collection, according to Henry Wessells of James Cummins Bookseller.

“Now the owner wishes to ensure that it is preserved for future generations, and, ultimately, made available to scholarship,” he said in an email. [...]

The miniature manuscript has “no connection with the Honresfield Library and is the last miniature book manuscript to come back into the marketplace,” Wessells said. (Fang Block)

In The Times, author John Walsh makes the case for the 1980s being the Golden Age for British fiction after listing previous literary golden ages.

The early Victorian heyday pullulated with talent: in 1847-48, British readers were spoilt for choice between Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by, respectively, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell. . . 

BuzzFeed has 15 bookstagrammers recommend recent books.

10. Sue from @suethebookie

[...]

A recent book I loved: Book Lovers doesn’t come out until May, but I read an advanced review copy, and I adored it. It’s not just a great romance, but a book featuring sisters (I love mine!) nearly always wins me over. It’s smart with nods to a couple of my favorite classic novels (Wuthering Heights and Sense & Sensibility), and I enjoyed every bit of it. (Farrah Penn)

The BMJ reports the death of Robin A L Agnew, physician and writer who apparently  

He published two books on the life and naval career of Sir John Forbes and also wrote on the life of the Victorian publisher George Smith and his connection with Charlotte Brontë. He submitted a paper to the Brontë Society the day before he died. (Liz Agnew,  Eleanor Barendt and  Molly Barendt)