Customer Reviews

The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen (Six Volume Set)

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Not long ago (once upon a time), one might correctly have declared Chapman's edition of Jane's complete works as 'the definitive collection.'

And today, although one might find more 'meat' in the Norton editions, these books remain a pleasure to pick up and hunker with for a bit of a read. The size of each volume fits my hand comfortably enough and the weight is light enough to allow the other hand the freedom to grasp a petite glass of red wine (with, perhaps, a bit of sliced fruit siddled comfortably on the side).

Each volume has a small bundle of bonuses (not unlike an expanded DVD!). I like the pictures of various buggies on which folks jolted around way back in the '90s (the 1790s, naturally). And for you fashion freaks, Chapman gives a couple of nice sketches of proper attire for a ball.

Fun stuff.

But the essence remains the words of Jane Austen. And these volumes offer you just that and in a nice package, too.

You won't go wrong with these books.

Muddyboo's review claimed that he had twice received this set with a flaw at the bottom of every page, "an erroneous word" there by mistake.

Apparently he is unacquainted with books printed in the 19th century and early 20th century. They regular print, at the bottom right of every page, the first word of the following page. This was believed to be helpful to the reader.

It is NOT a "flaw" nor a misprint. It show how exactly correct this wonderful edition is. It is much the finest edition of the many editions of Austen's works I personally own.

Yes, Oxford alright, but a facsimile edition of the first printings from Jane Austen's own lifetime plus a facsimile of the Chapman edition from 1923 (that's as much as I could make out; it requires quite an amount of historical criticism in itself to reconstruct this edition) In other words, it has charm but for our modern eyes, spoiled by superclean desktop publishing, the print is too small, too narrow and WAAAAAY too irregular. I could accept this if it were either an original first edition, or else, if this edition were really cheap. But it isn't. In fact, it's quite costly. My advice: go with the Barnes and Noble editions; they are set in clean type and the introductions are interesting and readable. Plus, they cost a fraction of this edition

This review is based on the physical description, and not so much on the content (which most are familiar with). I originally purchased this set for their aesthetics, as I have the penguin classics version which I carry in my bag (they get quite battered).

The books are all hard covered, with a jacket of a different colour and pattern resplendent of wallpaper, with the famous portrait of Austen on the cover (although there has been much debate as to the accuracy of this). The font used is smallish, but still easy to read, it is reminiscent of the original texts, so the authenticity is pleasing.

The word at the bottom right of the page is the first word on the next page, and not a type error. It does take getting used to, but should not deter your decision here.

Furthermore, there are some interesting appendixes, such as "Modes of Address" in Pride and Prejudice and "Reading and Writing" in Sense and Sensibility, as well as an index of characters at the end of each volume, with the page number the characters were introduced on (very handy). However, the thing that I was most pleased and amazed with was the inclusion of the whole play "Lovers' Vows" and the end of Mansfield Park, anyone who has read this knows how pivotal this play is to the plot, and this inclusion amazed me!

In addition, there are some charming black and white sketches throughout the texts, which just add to the already pleasing aesthetics.

The only thing I would suggest would be a ribbon bookmark, which I often expect of hardcovers.

In conclusion, this is a very good set if you'd like to start reading Jane Austen (although I do prefer the penguin classics for the extensive footnotes) or if you'd like a comprehensive and impressive set for your book shelves. I highly reccommend this set.

The point of this review is simply to correct a previous reviewer in the claim that his copy came with an alleged publishing error, namely an "erroneous word" at the end of every page. This is a not an error at all, but the result of an accurate facsimile edition which represents a standard publishing practice at the time of the first edition. Every page has at its bottom the first word of the next page, just like the first edition. Exactly as intended.

I have been watching the PBS's The Complete Jane Austen shows for a few weeks now and wanted to get a set of her books to enjoy as well. I came across this set and feel that I got more then my money's worth when I brought it. First of all, the price was just 37.50 and now I see it is back to 94.50. Secondly, the set it self is a good size. Not as small as paperbacks and not as large as some hardcovers making it easy to carry around and still clear in font size. Before I saw this, I was going to buy each book at BN which would have costed me much more. I got what I wanted here and for an amazingly good price. Thanks Amazon!

When I was in high school, a friend gave me secondhand, paperback copies of all Jane Austen's novels, and I'm deeply grateful for the early introduction to her work. Naturally, though, twenty-odd years of ever-increasing devotion to this author took their toll on the books. After prolonged subtle (and not-so-subtle) hinting on my part, my husband replaced the worn, old paperbacks with this beautiful set last Christmas, and I love it! The books look lovely on the shelf; they will withstand regular re-reading; and the old printing style transports the reader to Jane Austn's world. As others have mentioned, the first word of the next page is printed at the bottom of each page, in the old style. I found it slightly distracting at first, but soon ceased to notice it. (At least, I thought I'd stopped noticing it, until I picked up a modern book and was surprised to find it printed differently.)

The current $94 price tag seems high (though it really isn't, if you think of buying almost any six new, hardcover novels); but any devotee of Miss Austen will find this set a worthwhile investment.

Having read many versions of all of Jane Austens novels over the years, and recognizing some differences in them, I was quite happy to come across this set. R. W. Chapman's successful attempt to recreate the full collection in it's original state is to be commended and enjoyed.

To those who are "most familiar" with Austens works, these will be a refreshing change. There are definite changes in newer editions. Obviously some editors over the centuries believed they could improve on Jane Austen's writings. To the uninitiated, this is the best place to start your affair with Jane Austen.

The only thing that would have made this purchase better is if they had actually come across another, as yet, unpublished version of an additional novel, which alas, we have no hope of. So we will all just have to keep reading them over and over again.

I bought this for my wife for Christmas. Obviously I'm not going to review the books, but this edition is small enough to fit in a purse but with readable type and it is quite an elegant set on the shelf either in or out of the dust covers. One annoying thing I've learned is that the first word of every page is printed at the bottom of the page before it. This is distracting while you are reading but a friend of mine said it is how her books were originally published and everything back then was like that.

The 1988 edition included the following six titles: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Minor Works all edited by R. W. Chapman. Minor Works, a collection of all Jane Austen's minor works printed from her manuscripts, includes three volumes Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon. I assume that this edition includes the same six.