Customer Reviews

The Complete Novels (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

(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!

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.

The books included weren't listed so I went to Penguin Classics and copied their information:

Here in one volume are her seven great novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan.
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

I was looking for an edition of Austen's collected works that fit well in my hands, and this fits the bill. The pages are crisp, clean and the typeset is quite handsome (rather easy on the eyes). It isn't too heavy or bulky and the pages don't unknowingly flail out of place--causing you to lose your spot. For the layperson, the introduction is an added benefit, but if you're smart you'll just skip right to desert and dive into Austen.

On a side note: My copy has been through quite the beating. Several cherry danishes were inadvertently smashed into the pages, a glass of water was spilled and to top it all off: I dragged it all around the Americas while traveling this summer. So, believe it or not--it still looks brand new.

The Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of the Complete Novels of Jane Austen is a high quality paperback reprint of the hardbound Gramercy Classics edition held by many libraries - same good, clear typeface, same charming 1880's era illustrations. This is a large, well-made paperback that will stand up to many readings. It's pleasant to hold, with the lovely detail of rough-cut pages. They're all here: Elinor, that blighter Willoughby, Mr. Darcy, Emma, and the estimable Captain Wentworth, along with every other character Jane Austen dreamed up. Truly, it's a delightful edition.

If you love Jane Austen, this is an excellent book to have. It is nice to have all of her works in one location.

While the book itself is great, it is really heavy to hold up and its only great for table reading, i would estimate the book weighing between 5-7lbs so if your a tub reader or an in bed reader i wouldn't recommend this book for you.

These stories are classic and great, so basicly they are classicly great! I love that they have combined them all into one large book, i thought it would intimidate me at first but you really just get sucked in to the jane austen world from the first page. And for me just reading one story at a time and then taking a break in between or reading another book really helped to keep it fresh and interesting everytime! They were so easy to read, and you just fall in love with the charecters. You will feel so compelled to read them over and over again!

Jane Austen is Jane Austen--no surprises here :)

What I do wish to say, is this: this is a beautifully bound and presented book.

It's a good quality paperback (nice thick cover), with beautiful rough-cut/uneven edges to the pages, a very pretty cover, and it looks lovely on the shelf and in the hand. It opens nicely (without the stiffness you sometimes find in very large books).

Although not overly bulky for such a large collection, it achieves this by having long pages with a lot of text. This is my only reservation (albeit slight): if you have difficulty with very full/long pages, perhaps this edition is not for you. There is still enough space to leave it readable, but it's a consideration.