Manuscripts written by Jane Austen saved in an unprecedented literary acquisition in early January, have been donated to Jane Austen’s House in Chawton and the Bodleian Libraries.

They were presented by the Friends of the National Libraries, the literary charity dedicated to preserving the nation’s written and printed heritage.

The campaign to save the Honresfield Library, a private collection of manuscripts and books associated with some of the greatest writers in English Literature, was led by the charity.

The friends headed a partnership to save the letters and books with a consortium of research libraries and authors’ houses, including Jane Austen’s House and The Bodleian Libraries, among others.

The campaign involved an intensive public appeal to generate donations to save the works from being dispersed through auction sale.

It reached a satisfying conclusion in the first week of January, having raised more than £15m in donations to secure the Honresfield Library.

This included £7.5 million from a principal donor, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, and as a result the collection will now be known as the Blavatnik Honresfield Library.

The acquisition will ensure public access to these treasured manuscripts, and protect them from further sale for many decades to come.

The Jane Austen collection includes two hugely significant personal letters.

Fewer than 160 letters by Jane Austen and signed by her are known to survive, and these two letters will join 14 others already owned by Jane Austen’s House.

The letters confirm Jane Austen’s House as one of the world’s most significant repositories of Austen material and the only place where her domestic art can be viewed in its original context.

And they offer fascinating glimpses into Austen’s personal and creative life.

Both were written to Jane Austen’s beloved sister Cassandra, and they show Jane at two very different stages of life.

In the first, from January 1796, Jane is about to ‘flirt her last’ with Tom Lefroy, the young Irish lawyer on holiday in Hampshire for Christmas who caught her fancy.

This is also the earliest known surviving letter to hold Austen’s signature.

The second letter dates from 1813 and sees an older Austen, now the published author of two well-received novels, enjoying a stay in London, and updating Cassandra with the latest gossip.

In this long letter we see her pride in the reception of two of her best-loved novels, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

The Blavatnik Honresfield Library also includes rare first editions of Austen’s novels, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion in their original condition.

Lizzie Dunford, director of Jane Austen’s House, said: “It has been a privilege for Jane Austen’s House to be a part of this truly ground-breaking campaign, spearheaded by inspirational individuals, to save these extraordinary literary treasures for the nation.

“Jane Austen’s House is looking forward to working with the Bodleian Libraries to preserve and share with the public these two extraordinary letters.”

Professor Kathryn Sutherland, senior research fellow, St Anne’s College, Oxford, and trustee at Jane Austen’s House, added: “I am proud to have been part of the campaign, under the visionary leadership of the Friends of the National Libraries, to save this extraordinary collection of priceless manuscripts and printed books for public enjoyment.

“It is impossible to overestimate the importance and the significance of this moment for our shared literary heritage.’’