Jane Austen 6-Book Boxed Set (Collectors Library) [Box set] [Hardcover]

Jane Austen (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2658 pages
• Publisher: Crw Publishing (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190463351X
• ISBN-13: 978-1904633518
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 5.9 x 4.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Though the domain of Jane Austen's novels was as circumscribed as her life, her caustic wit and keen observation made her the equal of the greatest novelists in any language. Born the seventh child of the rector of Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16, 1775, she was educated mainly at home. At an early age she began writing sketches and satires of popular novels for her family's entertainment. As a clergyman's daughter from a well-connected family, she had an ample opportunity to study the habits of the middle class, the gentry, and the aristocracy. At twenty-one, she began a novel called "The First Impressions" an early version of Pride and Prejudice. In 1801, on her father's retirement, the family moved to the fashionable resort of Bath. Two years later she sold the first version of Northanger Abby to a London publisher, but the first of her novels to appear was Sense and Sensibility, published at her own expense in 1811. It was followed by Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815). After her father died in 1805, the family first moved to Southampton then to Chawton Cottage in Hampshire. Despite this relative retirement, Jane Austen was still in touch with a wider world, mainly through her brothers; one had become a very rich country gentleman, another a London banker, and two were naval officers. Though her many novels were published anonymously, she had many early and devoted readers, among them the Prince Regent and Sir Walter Scott. In 1816, in declining health, Austen wrote Persuasion and revised Northanger Abby, Her last work, Sandition, was left unfinished at her death on July 18, 1817. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Austen's identity as an author was announced to the world posthumously by her brother Henry, who supervised the publication of Northanger Abby and Persuasion in 1818.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portable, simple, and cute set for yourself or as a gift, October 9, 2008

By 

Squirrel Geek (Walnut Creek, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Jane Austen 6-Book Boxed Set (Collectors Library) (Hardcover)

Facts: Each book is approximately a tad smaller than 4" x 6", each of varying thickness. All have gold leaf (edging). The pages are thin. The font is small but clear. The books are fiber hardcover, and have a matte paper dust jacket. Each has a dark red satin ribbon bookmark. There are a few 19th-century style illustrations in each volume.

My opinion: I absolutely love this set. The publisher was "Collector's Library" under the Barnes & Noble umbrella, and they made several classics with the same book binding style. There is a more contemporary feel to the books than the classic Oxford Illustrated volumes (which are also fabulous) because they don't contain anything fancy.

This is the sort of set that you would treat well and wouldn't mind reading repeatedly, but for which you might hesitate to loan to someone else because it's so nice. It's not a throwaway paperback. If you want explanations, extras, and heirloom quality, go see the Oxford set. If you want something simple, sturdy, small and cute, go with this one.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite, May 17, 2008

By 

Sue Ryan "Yorkshire Lass" (Athens, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jane Austen 6-Book Boxed Set (Collectors Library) (Hardcover)

I ordered this set from an Amazon vendor in the UK Brown-Books-UK. Despite being in England they only took ten days to arrive in well-packed perfect condition. This set really is exquisite, the books are smaller in size (like books were in Jane Austen's day) than today's format. The box and each book are covered in fabric, the paper quality and print are excellent with gold edges, plus each book has an attached ribbon book mark. One couldn't ask for a more pleasing set. The stories, of course, speak for themselves to which any Jane Austen fan could attest. I would highly recommend this set to anybody wishing to purchase a Jane Austen set for either themselves or as a gift.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection - excellent bookseller, April 4, 2008

By 

C. Cameron "American_Idle" (Addison, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jane Austen 6-Book Boxed Set (Collectors Library) (Hardcover)

The order went thru to an Amazon bookselling company in England. Couldn't be more pleased with their efforts. It took a while for the books to arrived, and I inquired too early as to a shipment date. They arrived the next day, by air mail. Good people, good books - a graduation present for my granddaughter.