Book lovers, you can now read Jane Eyre in Charlotte Brontë’s original handwriting

To celebrate the bicentenary of Brontë’s birth, Parisian publishing house Éditions des Saints Pères are releasing 1,000 luxury editions of the earliest surviving manuscript copy of Jane Eyre.

Readers will be able to read iconic lines in Brontë’s own hand, from the book’s ominous opening sentence (“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day”) to its famous conclusion: “Reader, I married him”.

The manuscript reveals revisions made by Brontë as she worked, mostly focusing on reshaping Jane’s relationship with Mr Rochester. Brontë frequently struggled during the writing of Jane Eyre, telling her fellow writer and friend Elizabeth Gaskell that:

“It was not every day that she could write. Sometimes weeks or months elapsed before she felt she had anything to add to that portion of her story which was already written. Then, some morning she would waken up, and the progress of her tale lay clear and bright before her, in distinct vision.”

And even on these mornings, Brontë’s obligations as a dutiful daughter sometimes got in the way of her writing. Gaskell recalled that Brontë always had to “discharge her household and filial [daughterly] duties” before she was permitted “leisure to sit down and write out the incidents and consequent thoughts, which were, in fact, more present to her mind at such times than her actual life itself”.

The new gilded edition of Jane Eyre is illustrated with etchings by the 19^th century American artist Edmund Garrett, and one tree will be planted for each copy sold. With prices starting at £229, it’s not cheap – but if you fancy seeing the original manuscript for yourself without buying a copy, you can do so at the British Library.

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Éditions des Saints Pères are publishing their facsimile edition of Jane Eyre this Friday December 2nd (remember the price is £229 for preorders as opposed to £249 for orders after that date). A couple of sites feature this gem. Psychologies interviews Jessica Nelson, co-founder of the publishing house.

The 824-page manuscript contains important revisions and corrections centred around the portrayals of Jane's encounters with Mr Rochester. Written in Brontë's elegant hand, it gives readers unprecedented insight into her creative process. The manuscript's publication marks the culmination of this year’s bicentenary celebrations of Charlotte Brontë’s birth.
Each luxury edition is illustrated with etchings by Edmund Garrett and presented in a deluxe slipcase decorated with iron gilding. As well as being printed on environmentally-friendly paper, Éditions des Saints Pères have pledged to plant one tree for each copy sold. [...]