A page from The Watsons
The Bodleian Libraries have acquired at auction the autograph draft manuscript of Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons . The last major Austen manuscript to have been in private hands, The Watsons is the most significant Austen item to have come to the market in over twenty years. The acquisition which cost in excess of £1 million was made possible with a substantial grant (£894,700) from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). Other generous funders are the Friends of the National Libraries, the Friends of the Bodleian, Jane Austen's House Museum (Jane Austen Memorial Trust) as well as other supporters. Richard Ovenden, Deputy Librarian, Bodleian Libraries said: 'The Bodleian Libraries are delighted to have succeeded in their bid to save Jane Austen's draft manuscript of the The Watsons for the nation. The manuscript is such a valuable part of our literary heritage and we are glad it will stay now in Britain. We will make the manuscript available to the general public who can come and see it as early as this autumn when The Watsons will indeed be a star item in our forthcoming exhibition Treasures of the Bodleian.
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