Sense and Sensibility, Volume the Second, Chapters Three and Four

In which Elinor reluctantly and Marianne enthusiastically accept an invitation from Mrs. Jennings to London, where Marianne is disappointed by Willoughby's failure to suddenly appear.



Not much for this installment, I'm afraid. No notes, and no illustrations either. Because of that, I'll resurrect my Anne of Green Gables practice of showcasing covers of different editions!

This edition, published in 1884 by George Routledge and Sons appears to be portraying the first meeting between Marianne and Willoughby, where he helps her home after twisting her ankle. I will note, with pedantic superiority and disappointment, that it does not seem to be raining and is as such not properly true to the text.

I will also note that this edition apparently sold for sixpence. Going back to the conversion methods I used back in Around the World in Eighty Days, and taking into account that pre-decimalisation* there were 240 pence to the pound, this would have cost two American cents in 1884, or about $0.51 today. Which... is actually still a really good deal. You can't even find paperbacks in most used bookstores for that, anymore.


If you would like to read along, the text can be found at Project Gutenberg, and high-res copies of the Thompson illustrations can be found in the British Library's Flickr stream. No reading ahead, though!


*Because that's the British spelling, that's why.