Wonderfully easy but interesting canter through the social and political history of Regency England. Pictures are wonderful. ( )

This book is perfect on so many levels! On every page, I learned something and was entertained at the same time. The pacing, structure, depth, and breadth were all spot on. The best part is it will be so easy to return to this book over and over again every time I just want to remember something or take a quick trip down memory lane.
The book is divided into a few major sections: Jane Austen's life & family, her world, the world at large, and her books & legacy. I learned all about meals, games, traveling, and her aunt who was almost beheaded! Every page brought something new, and I never once fell asleep! Sometimes, I struggle to stay awake when reading nonfiction, but that didn't happen at all with this book!
This is a great book to dip one's toes into learning about Austen. Even if you're an avid Janeite like myself, there are still things to learn and amuse. I recommend everyone read this because everyone could gain something! ( )

A crash-course in Jane Austen, particularly suitable for those who have some familiarity with the period and love the books. Lane summarizes the trends in food, fashion, architecture, vacationing, leisure activities, poetry, prose, and politics of Jane Austen's lifetime. She walks us through what is known about Austen's life, what the sources are, and the probable biases/blinders of those sources. I found it a valuable resource, very useful for clearing up misunderstandings or areas of ignorance on my part. My only criticisms are that I found it a bit truncated (I would have loved far more detail) and that there were rather too many photos from recent film adaptations of Austen's films. ( )

Author, and Jane Austen scholar Maggie Lane’s lushly illustrated and thoroughly delightful volume on Jane Austen’s life, times and works is one of my Austen favorites in my library.

I gravitate to this lovely volume on my shelf when I need a quick Austen escape. Its large coffee table format allows for lush color photographs and period illustrations on each page, and author Maggie Lane was cleverly arranged the keynotes into five chapters, representing important aspects of Austen’s world; Who was Jane Austen? Daily Life in Jane Austen’s England, Society and the Spirit of the Age, The Visual World, and The Immortal Jane Austen. This volume also includes a well written introduction, chronology, helpful index and author’s acknowledgments. Here is an example of the first topic in chapter one…

Chapter One: Who is Jane Austen?

The Woman: We learn about Jane Austen’s birth, family and home environment that nurtured her genius. Her physical appearance, character and personality are described and exemplified by Lane’s thorough research, aptly including insightful quotes from her letters and family reflections.

“Her unusually quick sense of the ridiculous inclined her to play with the trifling commonplaces of everyday life, whether as regarded people or things; but she never played with its serious duties or responsibilities - when she was grave, she was very grave.” Anna Austen Lefroy

Inevitably, comparisons of Austen’s personality lead to the paring of her attitudes and personality with the characteristics of her own heroines. Even though each of her heroines is highly individual, Lane hints at similarities in the characters of Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse and Anne Elliot, and though I agree for the most part, I was amused to see how one can find what they need to suit, by reason and ingenuity.

The chapters are broken down further by topics and continue in chapter one as follows; The Writer, Beliefs and Values, The Letters, The Portraits, Family Background, Home at Steventon, The six brothers, Some female relations, Love and friendship, Family visits, Bath and the West Country, and Return to Hampshire.

Even though Maggie Lane is qualified to write a scholarly treatise, she knows her audience, and her light style is approachable and engaging. She includes enough biographical and historical detail to introduce us to the subject, and not weigh it down with heavy language and minutia. The photographs and illustration have been thoughtfully selected, significant to the topic, and important historically. Her scholarship is exemplary.

This is my favorite Austen book to give as a gift as an introduction to Jane Austen, and as eye candy to the indoctrinated. It has never failed to please, and I hope that we shall see many additional editions for future readers. ( )

Jane Austen's World looks at the woman behind this phenomenon and the world in which she lived. The book takes the reader on a tour of the England of Jane Austen's lifetime - a period of dramatic change.