Charlotte Brontë ‘little book’ saved for the public after £980,000 sale

The minature book could be, inch-for-inch, the most valuable literary manuscript ever sold

(Friends of the National Libraries/James Cummins bookseller )

The last of Charlotte Brontë’s “little books” known to be in private hands has been saved for the public and will go on display in Yorkshire.

The minature books were created by Charlotte Brontë and her siblings when they were children to entertain their toy soldiers.

The small works of literature have long been objects of fascination for Brontë enthusiasts and the last privately-held book, “A Book of Ryhmes” [sic], has now been bought for the nation.

The minature books stayed in the Brontë family until the 1890s when they were dispersed.

A young Charlotte Brontë’s inscription in her book of poems (Friends of the National Libraries/James Cummins bookseller)

Prior to its resurfacing, “A Book of Ryhmes” was last seen at auction in 1916 in New York, where it was sold for 520 dollars before disappearing.

The book is probably, inch-for-inch, the most valuable literary manuscript ever to be sold - measuring just 3.8 by 2.5 inches.

The contents page of ‘A Book of Ryhmes’ (Friends of the National Libraries/James Cummins bookseller)

It contains 10 poems and was purchased by Friends of the National Libraries after an urgent appeal for funds to meet the purchase price.

They will donate it to the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, Yorkshire. The museum has the largest collection of Brontë manuscripts in the world and its collection already boast nine of the little books.

The return of the book to a public museum was decribed as a ‘giant gain for Britain’ (Friends of the National Libraries/James Cummins bookseller)

Chairman of the Friends of the National Libraries, Geordie Greig, described the purchase of the little book as “a giant gain for Britain”.

“To return this literary treasure to the Brontë Parsonage where it was written is important for scholars and also students studying one of our greatest women writers,” he added.

The little book contains 10 poems (Friends of the National Libraries/James Cummins bookseller)

Principal curator of the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Ann Dinsdale, said that the museum was “absolutely thrilled to be the recipients of this extraordinary and unexpected donation.”

She said: “It is always emotional when an item belonging to the Brontë family is returned home and this final little book coming back to the place it was written when it had been thought lost is very special for us.”