Jane Austen's Letters 4th Edition

Highly recommend. Jane Austin is never disappointing and neither is the production of this book.

The dust jacket had a few faults in it, but overall the book is in good condition, and most important, it is the edition that was pictured on Amazon.For fans of Jane Austen herself, half of this substantial book is notes written by LeFaye, and other references. LeFaye is not an Austen scholar for whom I have much respect, but I am glad to have these letters in supposedly chronological order.

The content is great, and gives an insight into Jane Austen's stream of consciousness to her sister, and interesting tidbits about late 18th and early 19th century everyday life. What a gossip she was! Life before TV, Radio and even railway travel certainly was, to our point of view, very confined. But her world was her area of expertise. Her brothers went out and saw the world beyond England. She loved the Navy and I find it sad that she never seems to have boarded a ship, even in dock - but it doesn't seem to have occurred to her that she should or could have. She saw the world through her sailor brothers' eyes, and drew that world into her novels, Mansfield Park and Persuasion in particular, again through the eyes of her male characters.If Ms. LeFaye had not added extensive notes at the back, this would be hard to follow. The comings and goings of the Janes and Marys, Georges and Edwards, would quite lose me. There are the Coopers, Biggs, and Lefroys - to the JA newbie, this would be very confusing indeed, but Le Faye has pages of notes of Who's Who at the back, Just as good, the Houses and Locations where these people live, are noted also. You need two bookmarks, This is a great companion book for Claire Tomalin's biography of JA, as you can go from one to the other, making a kind of fuller picure out of a jumble of people, places and homes. Read Tomalin first.The book itself, being used and offered at half-price, was buyer-beware, and the front pages were loose in the binding and soon fell out. However it is a hardback. I am very pleased with my purchase.

There are some real problems with the paperback editions, and luckily I read about them before deciding to purchase the hardcover fourth edition of this book, which has all the letters in date order, with copious annotations and indices for the scholar. I've been reading and re-reading Austen's novels for decades and somehow missed her letters. What a treasure trove they prove to be! Unfortunately, her family destroyed some of them for fear of embarrassing people; what a shame! All those people have been moldering in their graves for more than 200 years, yet the letters that remain show the same wit and incisive knowledge of human nature that makes her books timeless classics. The hardcover edition is an excellent one, with good paper, secure binding, and an easy-to-read font. There are literally hundreds of pages of notes and indices, so whether you're a fan of Austen, a scholar, or just fond of this literary format, you can get as much (or as little) information as you want. The letters are more than just intelligent, charming and often humorous...there are some that draw tears. I was particularly moved by Jane's sister's letters to family and friends, written just after Jane's death. I highly recommend this book - but only in this edition!

I got the hardcover version, edited by Deirdre Le Fay, out of the library and it's a wonderful and very complete version. (Over 600 pages long with useful commentary) I wanted my own copy to highlight so I ordered the paperback version. It's a cheap little pamphlet of 111 pages. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THE PAPERBACK VERSION!I should have paid more attention to the negative reviews. The paperback version is worthless! spring for the hardcover.

Wonderful compilation of Austen's surviving letters; the editor included many notes on the families Austen discusses, the events of the day, social customs and more, all of which serve to flesh out the understanding contemporary readers had which we may lack.

I have come to love Jane Austens writing and saw this book listedin the back of one of the many I've read about Jane Austen and I'm so glad I did!It's really something!

As always, Diedrich League Faye pleases.

This new edition of Jane Austen's letters must surely take pride of place on the bookshelves of anyone who claims to love this extraordinary novelist.The minutiae of her daily existence are meticulously recorded, and it is Austen's talent for expressing the seemingly mundane that brings the author and her letters so remarkably to life. Of the political history of all periods we have more than our fair share, subject as it is to the interpretation and opinion of various historians - popular or otherwise - and our understanding of an age changes every day, but it is only through contact with letters and journals such as these that we can stand face to face with the ordinary men and women that make up an era.To quote from the product description above:"This fourth edition incorporates the findings of new scholarship to enrich our understanding of Austen and give us the fullest and most revealing view yet of her life and family. There is a new preface, the biographical and topographical indexes have been amended and updated, a new subject index has been created, and the contents of the notes added to the general index."Readers perhaps unfamiliar with Austen should not be put off by the parochial and intimate detail that fills her letters - it is precisely that detail and her powers of observation that make her novels as relevant today as they were when first published two centuries ago. To read her letters is to enter the same room as Miss Austen and her correspondents, to hear their laughter and tears, and to share in the daily life of this astonishing and unfortunately short-lived genius.This fourth edition is elegantly produced in one volume - maybe a little tightly bound to be quite comfortable, and in a size of print that is not always easy on the eye - but minor quibbles aside, Austen devotees (hand in hand with those just beginning their acquaintance with her) can and should relish every lively word. It will be a long time before this edition is superseded.

This volume is an essential addition to the library of any lover of the works of Jane Austen. Biographies never get close to the real Jane, these letters are her! In them you will find much trivia but also they express the true, sharp and intense, mischievous and sometimes downright rude Jane. Anyone who wants not only to live in the world of her novels but to accompany the author in her daily joys, losses, excitements and disappointments, in fact her life, this is the book for you!

I already had a paperback edition but wanted a hardback edition ...more robust etc. This is perfect

There is NO Kindle version of this despite a Kindle promotion.This hardback version is excellent quality.

I have found this invaluable as an academic reference of primary documents for my Post-grad studies. Well-annotated with useful notes by the compiler, it has been really helpful to have all the known 160 letters in one source book. Well worth having for study or pleasure.