#SaveTheHonresfeldLibrary.

The Brontë Society: 

The news is exciting that the fabled Honresfeld Library has emerged from myth and obscurity to reveal its extraordinary treasures. But without immediate government intervention in the public interest, a national collection hidden for 100 years will soon be scattered piecemeal across the world—perhaps never to be seen.The first tranche is set to go under the hammer in July 2021. This is a library filled with unique and precious British treasures—manuscripts in the hands of Burns, Scott, Austen, the Brontës.  With national libraries and literary house museums, the public custodians of such materials, struggling to survive after a year of forced closure and lost revenue, this is not the moment to bring national treasures onto the international market.  Saved for the nation, this unrivalled collection will be a source of vital cultural revenue and creative renewal.  Retained as a coherent collection, it will repay scholarly investigation and provide enjoyment for all lovers of literature for the next 100 years.

In collaboration with other literary museums including Jane Austen's House, we have written to our local MPs to urge immediate action on this. If you would like to do the same, we have created a template letter for you to download and send. You can find this by clicking the button marked 'Downloads'.

If you are outside the UK and would like to help with this campaign, please keep sharing articles and posts on social media (#SaveTheHonresfeldLibrary) and watch this space for more ways to get involved. bronte/save-the-Honresfeld-Library