New material relating to one of the most popular novelists, has been unveiled at an exhibition in New York. 'A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy', contains more than 100 items, such letters written by the author to family and friends; including one to her neice in which Austen wrote each word backward as a puzzle. Also of great interest, is the only surviving, complete, handwritten manuscript of 'Lady Susan; a Austen novel written in 1795 - predating the publication of 'Sense and Sensibility' by 16 years. Another manuscript, that of 'The Watsons', shows her work in progress, complete with annotations and plans for improvement. Perhaps the most touching exhibit, is a letter written by her sister Cassandra to Austen's neice, Fanny Knight, in which she reports Austen's death, saying: 'I have lost a treasure, such a sister, such a friend as never can have been surpassed.' The exhibition runs in the Morgan Library until 14th March.
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