Read Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s birthday was December 17, 1775, which means we are celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen!

We share this because Jane Austen is one of the most notable literary figures to date. In fact, many of her books have recently been adapted into mini-series and movies. We thought it might be lovely to take a moment to celebrate her, and invite you to consider reading (or reading again) some of her books.

Sense and Sensibility was said to have been inspired by a man named Tom Lefroy, a man with whom Austen is said to have been romantically involved with when she began writing the novel. The romance ended and Austen moved on, but it’s said that the character Mr. Darcy was inspired by him. She wrote a total of six novels — Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and two that she didn’t live to see published, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. Her novels were initially published anonymously (it wasn’t considered appropriate for women to publish novels) and over a decade after she’d written them; her identity being revealed only after her death.

Take some time this year to celebrate Austen, her hard work, her determination and the talent that brought her creative genius to be novels that continue to stand the test of time.

Jane Austen’s works are kept in our Classics section. All our books are by donation so we can’t say whether or not a certain title (or any) are in stock on a given day, so feel free to visit often and if you see an Austen title you are interested in, be sure to get it before it’s gone.