Review: Jane Austen's World by Maggie Lane

Title: Jane Austen's World
Author: Maggie Lane
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Carleton Books
Publish Date: August 1, 1997
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a Jane Austen fan!

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Jane Austen's World gives readers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the life and times of one of England's most loved authors. Not only does it offer fascinating biographical background -- her life, her family and friends, her sources, her interests and enthusiasms -- but it captures her times -- from the great issues of politics and war of Regency England to the cultural environment that helped shape her work.Her six novels -- Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion -- have charmed generations of readers with their wit and romance, with a dramatic growth in popularity over the past few years. With over 150 illustrations and photographs, this wonderful introduction to Jane Austen's life will delight anyone who has enjoyed her books."

My Two Cents: 

2013 is the year that we celebrate the 200th year anniversary of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (how crazy is that?). "Jane Austen's World" is a re-release just in time for this celebration. Many of us know all about Ms. Austen's stories. They've been read and dissected and read and dissected some more for the past two centuries but how many of us know a whole lot about Jane Austen herself? If you are anything like me, the answer is almost nothing. This book seeks to fill this void.

Want to know what Jane Austen's life was like in her small English town? Want to know what other people's lives were like during the same time? Want to know what our beloved Ms. Austen did in her spare time? This book has the answers to all of these questions and more. After reading this book, I feel like I have a much better understanding of and a much better appreciation for Ms. Austen. I always like to see where authors drew their inspirations for various books so it was interesting to see where Austen drew the inspiration for books that are still so popular today.

This book is also chock full of pictures of so many different things related to Austen. There are pictures of what she and her relations might have looked like. There are pictures of her houses. There are even some pictures of some of the movie and television adaptations that have been done of her books. I loved that!

Bottom line: This would be a great book for anyone who already loves Austen and wants to get to know her better. It would also be a good book for those who are less familiar with Austen and her works as well.