Starting at the top

According to the Georgian Papers Programme, a researcher named Nicholas Foretek has found evidence that the first documented purchaser of any novel by Jane Austen was actually the Prince Regent (later George IV). I know that Austen had, at best, mixed feelings about the Prince Regent, but if a prince was really her very first customer, here's hoping she at least got a really fancy banknote to hang on the wall, the way businesses display their first dollar.