Books

This page is full of great books, some with reviews that may help you choose, and some that I have used in my research that you may find useful.

Book Reviews

Here are a selection of books we recommend you read – for enjoyment, research or because it’s so popular. Remember too to check out your library and see if they have it in eBook, audio or print formats. Just a note that none of these are affiliate links.

Jane Austen’s Prayers Introduced by Emma Darlington

Jane Austen’s Prayers is introduced by Emma Darlington. For the first time Jane Austen’s prayers have appeared in print in her own beautiful handwriting. Read about Jane’s early life, her upbringing surrounded by clergymen, her homes, her novels, and her death at a young age. “A whole family assembling regularly for the purpose of prayer is fine” Jane wrote into Mansfield Park, and you can imagine her reading these prayers with her family at home.

Prayers written by my ever dear sister Jane’ is written on the fold of the prayers, treasured by Cassandra until her death. The full manuscripts are on each page with the text on the opposite page for easy reading. A beautifully illustrated book that any Janeite would love.
Available from Amazon – Nook – Kobo – Apple Books – Direct – Bookshop – Waterstones ~ All Other Retail

The murder of mr wickham by claudia grey

I picked up this book in my second hand bookstore and saw that Claudia has a new book out in this series called The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The second is The Late Mrs Willoughby. Claudia is an American writer of YA, so I thought this book would be an easy read for the summer.

I was right, and actually enjoyed reading about the house guests that Emma and Mr Knightly host, and how Wickham makes an unexpected entrance and upsets the gathering. I did think that having so many of Jane’s characters made it a bit complicated, especially as someone is Mrs X and then referred to by their first name. There’s also a lull in the middle as everyone tells you why they dislike Wickham, however, once you get over that it picks up speed to the end, and I’m looking forward to reading the next two.

50 COCKTAILS TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF JANE AUSTEN

This delightful book celebrates the picnics, luncheons, dinner parties and balls that Jane Austen captures so vividly in her novels. It contains useful tips in the introduction and then themes each cocktail to one of Jane’s novels.

We especially loved ‘Gin & Bennet ‘ which you ‘Garnish with edible blossoms, and for heaven’s sake, take the carrriage’. We also liked ‘Out of the Woodhouse’ which you ‘Fill with crushed ice, garnish with a mint sprig, and dream of exciting times’. Lots of fun that even the Jane Austen House Museum held an event using the cocktails in the book.

Jane Austen Embroidery by Jennie Batchelor & Alison Larkin

This book was featured in the ‘Chawton In Stitches’ exhibition so I just had to get my own copy and start sewing a project. You are shown a photograph of the finished project such as a Regency pouch, and then clear instructions on how you can sew your own. You can sew table cloths, needle cases, and other regency items relating to Jane.

It also contains quotes from Jane’s letters and novels, and with fifteen projects inside, that’s enough to keep anyone busy!

Jane Austen’s Wardrobe by Hilary Davidson

I bought this book as I was attracted by the lovely cover, and it looks good on my bookshelf. It contains lots of lovely photographs of fashions in the Regency period, and tells you what Jane wore from her undergarments through to her shoes and coats.

On each open page, there is a photograph on one side and a description of the item on the other and the date it was made. It’s well researched, and I learnt a lot about fashion in the Georgian period.

pride and prejudice by BARBARA HELLER

This is a lovely edition of Pride and Prejudice, and contains nineteen letters from Jane’s, written and folded by hand that go into a little pocket. Great care has been given to each one duplicated from Jane’s and hand written with lovely calligraphy.

Each chapter ends with a letter to open, with the best one from Mr Darcy. A lovely idea, and you can meet the artists on Barbara’s website and see what inspired her to create the book. This is a great gift for a Jane Austen fan, or for you, and the price is right which is why it’s so popular.

fashionable goodness: christianity in jane austen’s england by brenda s cox

Brenda Cox is one of those lovely, clever people who knows their stuff. If you are studying Jane Austen and/or religion in the 17th and 18th century, this book is for you. She talks about livings, wives, hierarchy, housing, changes in the Church of England, and other related topics.

I wanted to know most of all, ‘Why Mr. Collins, a rector, afford to marry a poor woman, while Mr. Elton, a vicar, and Charles Hayter, a curate, could not?’

It’s a well researched book, and Brenda has covered each topic in detail, so it’s a handy reference to have on your shelf. She also sends out a wonderful blog worth signing up for.

jane austen escape room book

I admit that I bought this book as I love the cover, and was not disappointed. Marjolein Bastin, an American artist, has created a lovely picture book that is smaller than it looks.

It contains puzzles that are numbered with the answers in the back, as well as mazes and ideas for games. Lots of pages have flowers, and there are sections on various Jane Austen topics including The Librarian, The Letter from Charlotte, Mr Collins, Carriage options, and a variety of other topics. It’s easy to carry, easy to read, so ideal for a younger members of your family and a great gift.

jane austen: a life by claire tomalin

Claire is a journalist who has written a number of books on different topics. She is an expert at telling stories, as shown here, as this book reads more like a fiction book than a traditional biography about Jane Austen. An easy, enjoyable read that comprehensively tells you about Jane, her life and novels. I like the way it is structured into chapters that cover key events in Jane’s life, including ‘Travels With My Mother’ and ‘The French Connection’.

Although my copy is dated 1997 and the publisher has printed the images into three sections in black and white, I wanted to include this book here as it is still one of the best-selling Jane Austen biographies and comes up first in many searches. Well worth the time.

Northanger Abbey by Val mcdermid

Northanger Abbey is written by Val McDermid, a fantastic Scottish crime writer, so it was interesting to find this book based on Northanger Abbey. It’s more of a mystery novel with a modern twist on Jane’s gothic novel. The story is about young 17 year old woman called of course.. Cat(!) who leaves her home in rural Dorset on the south coast of England to attend the Edinburgh Literature Festival in Scotland.

Invited to stay at an ancient Abbey on the Scottish Borders with Mr Tinley, her imagination runs riot with ghosts, secret chambers and lots of twists and turns in this great novel. It’s got some great lines, “Who on earth was that?” Bella asked, “She acts like she’s in Pride and Prejudice.” Personally, I couldn’t put it down and you’ll either love it or loathe it.

The Jane Austen Society by natalie jenner

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner is a delightful, gentle novel set in Jane Austen’s village of Chawton. There are eight leading characters, all with different backgrounds, who come together in 1940 to form a society to buy Jane Austen’s cottage and turn it into a museum. The after effects of war still plague some of its residents, and each person has suffered to some degree. All from different classes and backgrounds, they come together over the love for Jane Austen and her novels. The story departs from Chawton England, and villagers like the young maid Evie, and goes to America with Adeline, a glamorous Hollywood star. In our reading group, everyone loved Adeline and were captivated by her story and wanted more. This storyline was thought more enjoyable than the slower pace of the Chawton residents. A book about grief, loss, betrayal with a twist at the end.

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen flynn

The Jane Austen Project is a romance novel set in London in 1815. Rachel and Liam are scientists who are transported back in time to rural England with a bag of money. Their mission is to recover Jane Austen’s The Watsons manuscript and her letters that Cassandra burned and bring them back to their time. Posing as a doctor and his sister from Jamaica, they befriend Jane and her family and end up staying at Chawton cottage. The challenges and benefits of living in 1815 are well written, and how Liam and Rachel adjusted to life in this period is believable. There are a few stretches and holes, such as Liam and Rachel’s romantic relationship in a small cottage and a few unnecessary scientific explanations, though this does not take away from the story. If you like Jane Austen, time travel and read historical fiction – you will love it. (*It’s now out in audio)

Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley

Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley is a comprehensive book about Jane Austen, her life and homes. Lucy is a well known historian who visits Jane’s childhood homes, schools, and the houses of her family on who Jane relied on for support. Each chapter covers detailed aspects of the events in Jane’s life in order, and includes the precarious living situation for women at that time and how male dominated their lives were. I didn’t agree with about Jane being a ‘poor relation’. Compared with living in England today, Jane enjoyed a good standard of living supported by a large and loving family. Some of the details about who Jane was swaddled with, puberty ages, and Jane’s father struggling for money could have been left out. If you know little about Jane Austen’s life, it’s well worth a read. Lucy sparkles her dust of witty comments which are funny and lift the book.

JANE AUSTEN: writer in the world BY KATHRYN SUTHERLAND

Jane Austen Writer in the World is a lovely coffee table book with fabulous photographs inside that I purchased from the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It’s a large book, full of glossy photographs, and covers some of Jane’s life story told through her personal possessions. Contents include Georgian Life, Teenage Writings, Making Music, Letter Writing, Women In The Time of War, and much more. I particular enjoyed reading Jane’s homemade booklets in which she composed her novels and the extensive piece on Jane’s pelisse coat written by Hilary Davidson. Also included are objects associated with the era in which Jane lived including Navy logbooks, newspaper articles, political cartoons, and information about the wider world.

Jane Austen 200: the mysterious jane austen by emma darlington

Jane Austen 200 Who was the Mysterious Jane Austen? A quiet country girl who was fond of retail, romance and dancing?  Or a strong-minded woman of war, empire and business, who chose to remain unmarried, write novels and settle for nothing less than her own Mr Darcy. See six portraits of Jane displayed together for the first time, her pelisse coat, her letters and poems, the manuscript of Sanditon, and the ‘other’ ending to Persuasion. Filled with unseen photographs and commentary taking you on a journey 200 years after her death.
Available at Amazon ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~ Apple Books ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Author Direct ~ All Other Retail

Jane Austen’s Novels

Pride and Prejudice shows a spirited Elizabeth meeting the single, rich, and proud Mr Darcy. But can Mr Darcy fall in love with a woman beneath his class? A romantic novel that has sold over 20 million copies. Jane Austen called it “her own darling child” and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.”

Emma is rather spoiled and self absorbed, and is totally oblivious to the feelings of others. She considers herself quite the matchmaker, though is usually wrong. The first sentence reads “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich.” Jane wrote, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.”

Mansfield Park is the story of Fanny Price, who at ten years old is sent to live with her wealthy relatives, leaving her impoverished family behind. Aunt Norris treats her as a servant, and the Bertram daughters are quite cruel to her. She seeks solace in her cousin Edmund who reminds her of her brother. Henry and Mary Crawford cause upheaval, Tom causes a scandal, and Fanny eventually falls in love.

Northanger Abbey was the first novel Jane finished, although it was published after Jane’s death in 1817.   It is a Gothic novel which were popular at the time.  The story is about 17 year old Catherine Morland who goes to Bath and falls in love with Henry Tilney. She makes friends with his sister and Isabella Thorpe, a love interest of her brother. Staying at the dramatic Northanger Abbey events take a most unusual turn.

Persuasion was published along side Northanger Abbey in 1817 after Jane had died.  It is a romance about second chances. Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth fall in love, and when Anne is persuaded to break off the engagement and they are separated for a number of years before meeting up again.  This book features Lyme Regis and the famous leap by Louisa Musgrove into Capitan Wentworths arms.

You can read Jane Austen’s novels for FREE through Project Gutenberg

Books for Researchers and to find out more about Jane Austen’s Life

Austen, Caroline.  My Aunt Jane: A Memoir.  Sarsen Press, 1867

Austen Leigh, J. E.  A Memoir of Jane Austen by Her Nephew.  London, 1871.

Austen Leigh, William and Richard Arthur.  Jane Austen Her Life and Letters, A Family Record.  Smith, Elder & Co, 1913.

Blythe, Ronald. A Country Parson, James Woodforde’s Diary 1759-1802. Nicholas, 1985.

Byrne, Paula.  The Real Jane Austen.  Harperpress, 2013.

Chapman, R. W.  Jane Austen Selected Letters.  London, 1954.

Chapman, R. W.  Minor Works of Jane Austen.  London, 1954.

Collins, Irene.  Jane Austen: The Parson’s Daughter.  Hambledon Press, 1998.

Gilson, David.  A Biography of Jane Austen.  London, 1986.

Hill, Constance.  Jane Austen: Her Homes & Her Friends. 1901

Hollingsworth, Pauline. The Spirituality of Jane Austen. SPCK, 2017.

Jenkins, Elizabeth. Jane Austen: A Biography. Sphere, 1972.

Keynes, Geoffrey. Jane Austen: A Bibliography. Franklin, 1968

Kindred, Sheila Johnson. Jane Austen’s Transatlantic Sister: The Life and Letters of Fanny Palmer Austen. McGill, 2018

Lane, Maggie.  Jane Austen’s England.  London, 1986

Lefroy, Helen.  Jane Austen.  The History Press, 1997

Le Faye, Deirdre.  Jane Austen: A Family Record.  Oxford University Press, 1989

Le Faye, Deirdre. Jane Austen Letters. Oxford University Press, 2014

Leigh, William Austen and Austen Leigh, Richard Arthur.  London, 1913

Muir, Rory. Love and Marriage in the Time of Jane Austen. Yale, 2024

Sutherland, Kathryn. Jane Austen Chawton Letters. Bodleian, 2017

Box Sets

This has the top selling box set of Jane Austen novels of all time, and I’m told in our independent bookstore that copies still sell well.