Austen’s Manuscripts

January 24, 2009 BookLady DebLeave a comment

Later Manuscripts [The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jane Austen], edited by Janet Todd and Linda Bree, Cambridge Universitry Press, January 2009, is now available. Priced at $130. but weighs in at a hefty 872 pages.

Contents include:

Austen’s fiction: Lady Susan, The Watson’s, and Sanditon
Jane Austen on Fiction, to include her letters to friends and family on writing, her “Plan of a Novel”, and her collection of opinions of Mansfield Park and Emma
Austen’s poems and charades
Appendices that include transcriptions of two of the manuscripts, “Sir Charles Grandison”, Prayers, attributed poems, and family poems.
Extensive explanatory notes

later-manuscripts-cambridge

Jane Austen · News

Mr. Darcy Portrait Sells

January 23, 2009January 23, 2009 BookLady Deb2 Comments

The Darcy portrait of Colin Firth that we all wanted in our very own living rooms, has sold at auction for £12,000, nearly double the estimated value; very nice really… the money all goes to charity.

“This painting sold for double its estimated value for the simple reason that the series so captured the heart of the viewing public, particularly the fairer sex,” said Julian Roup, a spokesman for Bonhams auction house.

[see this BBC article]

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Books · Jane Austen · Literature · News

Edgar Allan Poe ~ January 19, 1809

January 18, 2009January 20, 2009 BookLady Deb4 Comments

I again direct you to my Bygone Books Blog for a celebration of the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849. Though you may wonder what this has to do with Jane Austen, and I agree that the link is tenuous as best [though indeed, is Emma not a mystery??] But I did find this link to the Book Mine Set blog that quoted Mark Twain as saying the following about Poe (and we know what he had to say about our Dear Jane!):

Of Poe, [Mark Twain] said,”To me his prose is unreadable—like Jane Austen’s.”

This Book Mine Set blog does a weekly post “The Great Wednesday Compare” pitting two authors against each other. Austen beat out Poe 48-8! [she then went on to beat Lucy Montgomery and Kurt Vonnegut, but lost by 2 points to Dr. Seuss the following week!] Go to the blog and read the many comments…it is quite entertaining!

edgar-allan-poe-image jane-austen-poe

And there are of course those action figures…

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Books · Jane Austen · News · Rare Books

For Sale in Hong Kong: Anne Sharp’s “Emma”

January 15, 2009January 16, 2009 BookLady Deb10 Comments

The 1816 first edition of Emma that Jane Austen signed and gave to her friend Anne Sharp [thought to be the inspiration for the character of Mrs. Weston] will be available for sale at this weekend’s International Antiquarian Book Fair in Hong Kong [January 17-19, 2009]. It will cost you a mere HK$3.95 million. See the full article about other titles for sale at The Standard.com.hk and the link above for the full downloadable catalogue of fair offerings.

By my calculations (this can vary depending on which currency converter you use):

this book sold for £180,000 at a Bonhams auction in June = US $262,692.
it is for sale at the book fair for HK $ 3,950,000.
which equals £348,744. GBP or US $508,958.
which is a profit of £168,744 GBP or US $246,265.
…if it sells..
and whatever would Jane (or Anne!) think!

Further reading:

My previous post “Emma on the Block” about this Emma for sale at auction last June for £180,000
Laurel Ann at Austenprose on Anne Sharp and this edition of Emma
the Bonhams catalogue entry including a copy of the inscription
more on this edition at Auction Publicity.com

Jane Austen · News

Fashion Quiz

January 14, 2009January 14, 2009 BookLady Deb2 Comments

The Jane Austen Centre in Bath has just sent out its latest online newsletter ~ one of the articles is a fashion quiz, 10 questions to test your knowledge of the clothing of Austen’s day.

The whole newsletter is available here, this month with a few visual-musical treats, sales at the gift shop, Persuasion in French, and much more. And while there, be sure to look at the Online Magazine which contains many articles of interest.

Cards from the Gift Shop — Cards at the Gift Shop

Jane Austen · News

Andrew Davies, the doodler…

January 13, 2009January 13, 2009 BookLady Deb3 Comments

Thanks to an alert Janeite and Laurie Viera Rigler’s facebook site, we have the following delightful doodles from the king of costume drama, Andrew Davies:

andrew-davies-doodle1

andrew-davies-doodle2

Well, now we know what Mr. Darcy was really thinking (or at least in the mind of Andrew Davies!)…yikes!

You can go to the National Doodle Day site for more information and other celebrity doodles.

Jane Austen · Schedule of Events · Social Life & Customs

Georgiana Darcy in Hyde Park (VT)

January 11, 2009January 11, 2009 Janeite KellyLeave a comment

Janeite Kelly will give a talk entitled Georgiana Darcy and the ‘Naïve Art’ of Young Ladies at the Governor’s House in Hyde Park on Friday, 30 January 2009. Our hostess, Suzanne Boden (a new JASNA -Vermont member!) invites you to join us for an entire Weekend dedicated to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice:

Friday, 30 January – 8:00 pm informal talk (see below), with coffee and dessert ($14)

Saturday, 31 January – 3:00 pm Afternoon Tea ($20)

Saturday, 31 January – 7:00 pm Book Discussion & Dinner ($35)

Sunday, 1 February – 11:30 am Brunch & Austen Quiz ($15)

All four activities ($75) and a weekend package that includes B&B accommodation at the Governor’s House (starting at $295 single) also available. Contact Suzanne at info [at] onehundredmain [dot] com or (802) 888-6888 (toll free 866-800-6888).

The starting point for Kelly’s illustrated talk is Elizabeth Bennet’s journey through Derbyshire with the Gardiners (also the subject of her article “Derbyshires Corresponding: Elizabeth Bennet and the Austen Tour of 1833,” which appears in Persuasions this spring). As Elizabeth tours Pemberley, P&P’s narrator tells readers:

“The picture gallery, and two or three of the principal bed-rooms, were all that remained to be shown. In the former were many good paintings: but Elizabeth knew nothing of the art; and from such as had been already visible below, she had willingly turned to look at some drawings of Miss Darcy’s, in crayons, whose subjects were usually more interesting, and also more intelligble.”

Looking at the work of several young ladies, including Cassandra Austen, during a period covering the first half of the 19th century – we examine fashion, home, family and life in England during the “lifetime” of Darcy’s young sister Georgiana.

As the little drawing above done by Diana Sperling illustrates: Elizabeth Bennet had good taste!

Jane Austen · News

Cardinal Newman says…

January 10, 2009January 10, 2009 BookLady Deb1 Comment

According to one of my literary calendars, today [ January 10, 1837 ] is the day that Cardinal Newman made his oft-quoted remark:

Miss Austen has no romance!… What vile creatures her parsons are.’

… though he supposedly admired her works [and goodness! how we love those parsons!]

John Newman (1801-1890) was an English Catholic who at the age of 15 moved to Alton with his parents and lived at 59 High Street for three years (1816-1819) after his father took over the Baverstock Brewery. The house dating to 1769 bears a blue plaque by the door highlighting the fact. The previous owners were involved in a lawsuit with Austen’s brother Edward Knight over his failed Hampshire property. Alton is the nearest town to the village of Chawton where Austen lived until 1817. One wonders, did they ever meet in that overlapping year??

Further reading on Alton and Cardinal Newman:

Astoft.co.uk [see also all their links to Austen-related structures ]
The Wey Valley site on Alton
The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia entry for Cardinal Newman

***********************

and on another note of important dates, I missed Cassandra’s birthday yesterday: January 9, 1773.

Book reviews · Jane Austen · Movies · News · Regency England · Social Life & Customs

In My Mailbox ~

January 9, 2009January 9, 2009 BookLady Deb1 Comment

I love my mailman ~ it seems he brings me a surprise almost daily! Today, I find the latest issue of Jane Austen’s Regency World [Jan/Feb 2009, Issue 37], and here give you some thoughts on the contents:

“End of the Regency” about the soon to be released film on young Queen Victoria [March 2009 in Britain], starring Emily Blunt (on the cover above) as Victoria and Rupert Friend as Prince Albert (he starred in the 2005 P&P as Wickham and was fabulous in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont)

“Write-on” about the importance of correspondence and the ways of letter-writing in Jane Austen’s time

“Why I Dig Jane” a talk with Alan Titchmarsh, popular British TV personality, gardener, and novelist [his latest book, Folly, is set in Bath and currently on the British best-selling fiction list] ~ He confesses that his favorite character is Emma.

“Illustrating Jane Austen” an article on the incomparable Hugh Thomson

“Playing Mary Bennet” on the actress Ruby Bentall, who acted the role of Mary Bennet in the Lost in Austen series (“with spindly glasses and horrible hair”…)

“Pottery and Poetry” which traces the life of Thomasina Dennis, 1770-1809, a comtemporary of Austen’s who worked for the Wedgwood Pottery family. The article includes some history of Josiah Wedgwood and his business [ironically, this week the Waterford / Wedgwood company announced it is filing for bankruptcy]

“Petticoat Politics” looks at the complex nature of Regency undergarments, never mentioned, but a large part of “dressing Jane” and her contemporaries

“Madame de Stael” and the story of why perhaps Jane Austen refused to attend a London literary salon at which Madame de Stael was to be present (could it have been her tempestuous love-life??)

“My Jane Austen” the column this month by Virginia Claire Tharrington on her months as an intern at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath (she also posted several weekly articles on Austenprose while she was there)

“A Goodly Heritage” by Marsha Huff, President of JASNA, on this past year’s Annual JASNA AGM in Chicago

“Portrait of a Lady” on the Jane Austen Society of the U.K. and the event presented in the fall by History Wardrobe on the fashion of Austen’s time

And Joceline Bury offers three book Reviews: An Aristocratic Affair by Janet Gleeson, a biography of Henriette Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough and sister of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire [The American title is: Privilege and Scandal: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Spencer, Sister of Georgiana]; The Immortal Jane Austen by Maggie Lane, a no-frills biography of a mere 50 pages, but laced with many illustrations and highly recommended by the reviewer; and Jane Austen Visits London by Vera Quinn, the charming little book that concentrates only on Austen’s travels to and writings about London [see my comments on this book here.]

So all in all a fine issue, and a perfect way to spend the upcoming weekend, immersed in all things Regency!

Jane Austen · Movies · News

On the Block ~ Mr. Darcy…

January 7, 2009January 7, 2009 BookLady Deb1 Comment

The portrait of Mr. Darcy (a.k.a. Colin Firth) that was used in the pivotal scene (Elizabeth gazing at Darcy’s portrait hanging in the portrait hall at Pemberley) in the 1995 A&E production of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice will be sold at auction on January 21, 2009 at Bonham’s Gentlemans Library Sale; the sale also includes a letter from Firth. The painting is expected to fetch £7,000 and the proceeds will go to charity ~ Oxfam and the Southampton and Winchester Vistors Group [see the Telegraph.co.uk and BBC News online for more information, including a downloadable copy of Firth’s letter at the BBC site ( and note the misspelling of “Pemberly” in the BBC article!)]

darcy-firth-portrait