Jane Austen(1775-1841) was the seventh of eight children
born to George Austen, an Anglican rector, and Cassandra Austen in
Steventon, Hampshire, England. During her adolescence, she penned
humorous pieces that greatly entertained her close-knit family. At
19, she wrote a novella, Lady Susan, and soon after began drafts of
what would become Sense and Sensibility and Pride and
Prejudice. After her father died in 1801, Austen, her mother,
and beloved older sister Cassandra, moved frequently due to
financial difficulties. In 1809, they settled in Chawton in a
cottage owned by her brother, Edward. While residing there, she
revised Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice and
wrote Emma and Mansfield Park – all published anonymously.
Though popular at the time, the novels did not achieve the success
or acclaim they enjoy today. In 1816, Austen fell ill with a malady
that remains undiagnosed. She died at age 41. Persuasion and
Northanger Abbey were published posthumously and Austen’s authorial
identity was at last revealed. It is estimated that Jane Austen
wrote as many as three thousand letters during her lifetime. One
hundred and sixty-one of her letters are known to have
survived.
Barbara Heller’s career in film and television encompasses
finding furnishings and props for many shows including The
Americans and When They See Us; location managing films for Francis
Coppola, Nancy Meyers, and Barbet Schroeder; making award-winning
short films that have played at festivals around the world (Cannes,
Berlin, Sundance); and reporting on why hotels fold the end of the
toilet paper into a point for NPR. She lives with her son in New
York City.
"The letters in Heller's edition of Pride and Prejudice are
painstakingly detailed, from the style of folding (letters didn't
have envelopes, so they served as their own containers) to the
postal markings and wax imprints indicating price, mileage, date,
etc.... These letters, with the various character traits that their
appearances indicate, can bring 21st-century readers closer to
Austen's world." --Ted Scheinman, Smithsonian
"This exquisite book presents the novel's full text along with 19
letters 'handwritten' by Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet, Caroline
Bingley and others. Their notes, complete with appropriate
postmarks, are dropped into pouches placed at just the right
moments in the story. More than a gimmick, it's a dramatic way to
experience the central role that correspondence plays in the
novel." --The Washington Post Book Club
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