Exhibition Tours | Paper Jane: 250 Years of Austen

On View September 11, 2025 – November 15, 2025

In Person Tours: 1:00 PM on Tuesday, December 9 & Tuesday, January 6

11:00 am on Wednesday, January 21

Paper Jane marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen (1775–1817). Now arguably the best-known author in the English language after Shakespeare, that was not always the case—when she died at the early age of 41, Austen was relatively unknown, having published only four novels anonymously (“by a Lady”). The exhibition is organized chronologically, measuring the novelist’s growing fame at fifty-year intervals (1825, 1875, 1925, 1975, and 2025) through a kaleidoscopic mix of 110 objects, including rare first editions, manuscripts, popular reprintings, movie posters, illustrations, theater playbills, and other paper ephemera, all drawn from the collections of Sandra Clark, Mary Crawford, and Janine Barchas. In addition to showcasing rare first and early editions of Austen’s novels, the exhibition explores the profound influence of the Austen family on the writer’s legacy. An accompanying catalogue, published by the Grolier Club, will be available in December 2025.

Registration

Please RSVP to garantee our attendance. Grolier Club members should RSVP via the Grolier Club website.

Support

We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For over 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings, and would like to support that tradition, and help ensure that it continues, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.

Accessibility

An ADA-compliant lift from street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.

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