I am going to fall into the minority when I say that I was not crazy enough about the book to give it five stars. This is definitely an edition I’d give to any Austen fan who enjoys something just a little more from their favorite titles. Definitely not something that would enhance every title, but the importance of letter-writing to Austen’s works makes it a perfect fit. It made the feel of the book somehow ‘more’, like a scrapbook of an adventurous life, perhaps.So, a novelty, definitely, but a novelty done with authenticity and every effort at verisimilitude. Here, I think, she only partially succeeds, as there was just no matching the tones exactly, but she made up for this by keeping these ad libs as brief as possible so as not to interfere with the authenticity any more than strictly necessary.MT made the comment that the book looked unwieldy to read, and I agree that some might find the way the text block is broken up by the glassine envelopes, making the book feel ‘crunchy’ might annoy or turn off some readers, but I frankly loved it. As it would do no good to only include the part of the letter quoted in the text, Heller consulted various sources, and from the summaries given in the text, attempted to recreate what the original letter might have been. Here, as Heller states in the introduction, and in the Appendix, where she has notes on each letter individually, some compromise had to be made. Not just hand-written, but hand-written in replica’s of period letters, each character being assigned a distinctive hand Heller then found the Society of Scribes of New York, and members wrote each letter with pen and ink, using the imperfections inherit in handwriting to achieve perfection.The folding, addressing and postage too were all painstakingly researched and replicated, involving advice and instruction from the treasurer of the Midland (GB) Postal History Society.All efforts to avoid anachronisms were made, and the only variation from true authenticity are the few (2?) pivotal letters where Austen herself only quotes them partially. But upon opening it, I read the introduction by Barbara Heller and realised this isn’t just a novelty, but a tremendous amount of effort went into creating the letters themselves as accurately as possible. Since my discovery of Griffin & Sabine, I’ve been a sucker for books with physical bits that are part of the story, and truly, my thoughts when purchasing this went no further than ‘ooh! letters!’. Perfect.Of course, Pride and Prejudice, is a 5-star read for me, once and always, but this edition gets 5 stars for the format. Adversaries at first in the endless rounds of balls, parties, and social gatherings, they soon develop a grudging respect for one another that blossoms into romance when each comes to appreciate the tender feelings that course beneath the veneer of their propriety and reserve.įirst published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular tales of romance in the English language and a cornerstone of Jane Austen's reputation as one of the greatest novelists of all time.įingers crossed, my binging might be at an end after my last book, I had a sudden desire to re-read Pride and Prejudice and when I went to my shelves to grab a copy (it being amongst the titles I have no willpower to refuse whenever I see one in the shops), I saw this one waiting for me. Attention centers on haughty second-born Elizabeth, and her blossoming relationship with the dashing but aloof Fitzwilliam Darcy. Jane, the oldest, is the most demure and traditional, and Lydia, the youngest, the most headstrong and impulsive. As the Bennets prepare their five grown daughters to enter into society, each shows personality traits that illuminate their future prospects as wives. 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.' So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's classic novel of manners and mores in early nineteenth century England.

Barnes noble collectible editions