Jane Austen rare manuscript for sale

A rare, handwritten manuscript of Jane Austen's unfinished novel The Watsons is to be sold at auction at Sotherby's in London.

An incredibly rare handwritten manuscript of an unfinished novel by Jane Austen – the only one that is still in private hands – is to appear at auction in London.

The neatly written but heavily corrected pages are for her unfinished work The Watsons, a novel which many believe could easily have been as good as her six completed works.

Gabriel Heaton, Sotheby's senior specialist in books and manuscripts, said it was "a thrill and privilege" to be selling it: "It is very exciting. This is the most significant Austen material to come on the market since the late 1980s."

Full story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/20/jane-austen-rare-manuscript-sale-auction