The 12 Days of Christmas:

• Day 1: A Minitaure Edition of Emma
• Day 2: A Literary Tour with Susannah Fullerton, President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia
• Day 3: A Jane Austen Bracelet
• Day 4: Tony Heaton’s Greetings from England Cards
• Day 5: Jane Austen Bandages

Day 6: Jane Austen: Her Complete Novels [In One Sitting]

My daughter was suitably  impressed when my husband promised that for my birthday this year [in December] he was committing to reading all of Jane Austen’s novels – he thought it was high time he knew more about what I continually natter on about [he has read P&P and Persuasion, but more under duress than joy] – so this seemed an amazing gift, my daughter thinking it was the most romantic thing she had heard of in years and I myself completely taken in for a minute or two, readying my Oxford set for him to take up – until I realized that he was quite serious indeed but only referring to a little book I had just bought and put upon the shelf.

Jane Austen: Her Complete Novels in One Sitting, by Jennifer Kasius (Running Press, 2012)

From the Publisher:

This deluxe Miniature Edition is packed with summaries of the novels of one of history’s most beloved storytellers, Jane Austen. All six of her classic novels, Sense and Sensibility; Pride and Prejudice; Mansfield Park; Emma; Northanger Abbey; and Persuasion are efficiently organized in this compact tome, which is perfect for either digesting small bites of information or devouring in one sitting. Featuring synopses, character profiles, and two-color illustrations, this mini book brings to life a collection of timeless stories and the iconic characters that populate the novels of Jane Austen.

As Ms. Kasius states in her introduction:

“This guide condenses all of her novels in a preciously small package, so you can get your “Jane fix” whenever you need … so pour yourself some tea, bring the settee near the fireplace, and settle in to delight in Jane Austen’s world – in just one sitting.” (page 12)

At 203 pages it is delightful indeed, and I am all expectation for a better understanding from my husband of the life of a “Janeite” –  I do however leave this little book right next to the 6vol Oxford edition of the novels – I live in hope…

[the Endpapers: illus by Hugh Thomson in the 1894 ed. of Pride and Prejudice]

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Jane Austen: Her Complete Novels in One Sitting
by Jennifer Kasius
Running Press, 2012
$5.95
978-07624-4755-8

c2012, Jane Austen in Vermont