The Complete Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) [Deckle Edge] [Roughcut]

Jane Austen (Author), Karen Joy Fowler (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2006

Now in Penguin Classics-a treasure trove of Jane Austen's novels

View our Austen-mania feature page here.

Few novelists have conveyed the subtleties and nuances of their own social milieu with the wit and insight of Jane Austen. Here in one volume are her seven great novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan. Through her vivacious and spirited heroines and their circle, Austen vividly portrays English middle-class life as the eighteenth century came to a close and the nineteenth century began. Each of the novels is a love story and a story about marriage—marriage for love, for financial security, for social status. But they are not romances; ironic, comic, and wise, they are masterly evocations of the society Jane Austen observed. This beautiful volume covers the literary career of one of England’s finest prose stylists of any century.

• A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with French flaps and luxurious packaging
• Features the definitive Penguin Classics texts recommended by the Jane Austen Society
• New introduction by bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club Karen Joy Fowler

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"These modern editions are to be strongly recommended."
—Brian Southam, The Jane Austen Society

About the Author

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 at Steventon near Basingstoke, the seventh child of the rector of the parish. She lived with her family at Steventon until they moved to Bath when her father retired in 1801. After his death in 1805, she moved around with her mother; in 1809, they settled in Chawton, near Alton, Hampshire. Here she remained, except for a few visits to London, until in May 1817 she moved to Winchester to be near her doctor. There she died on July 18, 1817.

As a girl Jane Austen wrote stories, including burlesques of popular romances. Her works were only published after much revision, four novels being published in her lifetime. These are Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Two other novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were published posthumously in 1818 with a biographical notice by her brother, Henry Austen, the first formal announcement of her authorship. Persuasion was written in a race against failing health in 1815-16. She also left two earlier compositions, a short epistolary novel, Lady Susan, and an unfinished novel, The Watsons. At the time of her death, she was working on a new novel, Sanditon, a fragmentary draft of which survives.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Roughcut: 1278 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; Deluxe Paperback edition (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143039504
• ISBN-13: 978-0143039501
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 2.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,566 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

243 of 251 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Complete Edition -- Penguin Classics Deluxe, May 3, 2006

By 

wm.penn (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Roughcut)

There are several complete editions on Amazon of Austen's novels, so I thought I would write a review recommending this one (the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition). It lays open in your hand, has nice paper and high-quality paperback binding and cover, and it has perfectly sized type and wide inside margins. Other than the substantial size and weight (though it is not nearly as inconvenient as quarto-sized complete editions, such as the classic Sherlock Holmes), it is a perfect volume for those who are more interested in reading Austen than admiring how she looks on the shelf.

By contrast, the Modern Library hardcover edition (which I compared in person at the bookstore) has such a narrow inside margin that the reader must strain to read bent text or to force the binding to open more and the paper to lay flatter. Otherwise, it was a nice edition. For me, they ruined it by this simple mistake.

The leather bound edition from the Library of Literary Classics is a nice idea, and I have not seen it in person. I did notice, however, that the table of contents shows how little space they manage to squeeze Austen's novels into. It has far fewer pages than the Penquin Classics Deluxe Edition. When previewing the pages of text, this seems apparent in the very small type. As I said, I have not seen it in person, so I may be wrong, but it looks like it might be a strain to read, whereas the Penguin is quite comfortable. Hopefully Penguin will provide preview images soon so potential buyers can "Look Inside" and compare for themselves.

It is wonderful that there are so many editions of Austen to choose from. The choice is personal and subjective. I will spend many, many hours reading mine, so I chose the one that I thought would be the most comfortable. I do not want to fight the book -- I want it to disappear so that my imagination may wander unhindered with Jane's characters. I hope you enjoy the novels, whichever edition you choose.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great novels, horrible edition, March 21, 2008

By 

N. Turchin (Hampton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Roughcut)

(Let me preface this by saying that I am 24 years old and have great eyesight.)

I love the idea of combining the novels into an easy-to-hold edition (and the cover is beautiful), but I am glad I borrowed this from the library before purchasing, because the typography is awful.

To make the book easier to hold, they have sacrificed much in the way of readability. The paragraphs are too wide, and font too small, and worst of all, the space between lines is far too small, making it virtually impossible to read without using a bookmark to follow along the lines.

Jane Austen is not difficult to read, but the typography of the book makes it that way. Do yourself a favor and buy each of these novel separately so that you can actually enjoy reading them, as opposed to struggling trying to follow which line you're on!

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, January 8, 2008

By 

WyoGrl (Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Roughcut)

I love this copy of Jane Austen's stories. It's great to have all the novels together and it's not too heavy or bulky to sit and read. A good addition to any library.