The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, Vol. 1 (Sense & Sensibility / Pride & Prejudice / Mansfield Park) [Hardcover]

Jane Austen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"For those of us who suspect all the mysteries of life are contained in the microcosm of the family, that personal relationships prefigure all else, the work of Jane Austen is the Rosetta stone of literature."

--Anna Quindlen


"How could these novels ever seem remote?...The gaiety is unextinguished today, the irony has kept its bite, the reasoning is still sweet, the sparkle undiminished....As comedies they are irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction could be."

--Eudora Welty

About the Author

The Modern Library has played a significant role in American cultural life for the better part of a century. The series was founded in 1917 by the publishers Boni and Liveright and eight years later acquired by Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer. It provided the foundation for their next publishing venture, Random House. The Modern Library has been a staple of the American book trade, providing readers with affordable hardbound editions of important works of literature and thought. For the Modern Library's seventy-fifth anniversary, Random House redesigned the series, restoring as its emblem the running torch-bearer created by Lucian Bernhard in 1925 and refurbishing jackets, bindings, and type, as well as inaugurating a new program of selecting titles. The Modern Library continues to provide the world's best books, at the best prices.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 912 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library (September 5, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679600264
• ISBN-13: 978-0679600268
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 1.9 x 5.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,778 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

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane's prose is perfect, April 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, Vol. 1 (Sense & Sensibility / Pride & Prejudice / Mansfield Park) (Hardcover)

Jane Austen is still where she belongs, between book covers. We know the stories are good, but what isn't immediately obvious is the many recent adaptations is what an impeccable writer of English prose she is - no posturing word-dropper, no purveyer of hoary terminology, but a fine, simple, straightforward narrator.

She is brief but telling, using tilt and tone to make us smile. She doesn't bore with tedious flashbacks or podding descriptions of a new character's background. And she tells us what we wanted to know, just when we want to know it. As I am wondering what became of Mr. Bingley, he turns up; as I am trying to remember what the party is doing in Bath, it becomes clear. She's always ahead, dropping just the right number of crumbs.

Jane's world moved slowly, and reading her takes time. Her cncerns are universal - how to fill the hours of the day, the pairing of single young men and women, the effects of money, household matters. Her ethical domain is dominated by consideration - of others' feelings, needs, requirements. The occasional rebellious spirit is not admired, concepts such as fulfillment and freedom never enter her head. As for "needs" beyond basic physical ones - an idea that would have astonished her - she would have substituted "obligations."

But there is something about all this that keeps us going back, and back and back.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable, classy Jane Austen collection, February 24, 2009

By 

Carrie (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, Vol. 1 (Sense & Sensibility / Pride & Prejudice / Mansfield Park) (Hardcover)

I'd gone through several mistake-purchases of Jane Austen collections before finding the Modern Library versions. I highly recommend them: they are error-free (a major problem in the deluge of Austen compilations), high quality (good binding - firm enough to last, but pliable enough to actual read the book without having to crack the spine; pages are of a quality weight paper), the book size is also manageable. I own both volumes, have read through them repeatedly, and am glad to have finally found a quality set.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Edition, March 19, 2006

By 

Jacqueline Warmke - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Novels of Jane Austen, Vol. 1 (Sense & Sensibility / Pride & Prejudice / Mansfield Park) (Hardcover)

This hardback is a solid binding on good quality paper. It easily stands up to the many re-readings Austen's novels deserve.