Determined literature collectors brought a strong price for a rare first edition set of works by the Bronte sisters at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions on May 19 in the UK.
 The first editions were published under the Bronte sisters' male pseudonyms |
Including all the novels published by Charlotte, Emily and Anne - the sisters who became some of the best-loved voices in English literature - the set sold for £111,600 ($188,208), topping its £80,000 high estimate by 39.5%.
The sisters, along with brother Branwell, began writing as children, using each other to spur their ambitions.
Following the death of their mother and two older sisters, Elizabeth and Maria, their writing became an outlet for their grief, and it was these tragic circumstances that saw them build a strong following from an early age.
As was the tradition of the time, the first edition copies of their novels are published with male names - Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.
A miniature manuscript by Charlotte Bronte, written on a tiny scale to conceal its contents from her parents, sold for over $1m at Sotheby's in 2011.
See our fantastic range of literary collectibles for sale, including signed items from Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
