An exquisite selection of letters from one of the most enduringly popular authors of all time: Jane Austen. Beautifully illustrated with contemporary paintings and engravings of Regency England--the England that Jane Austen herself would have observed--this collection of correspondence by the beloved author is a must-have for her adoring fans. The letters, with commentary by Penelope Hughes-Hallett, cover six periods of Jane Austen's life between the years 1796, when she was 20, and 1817, when she died. They reveal Austen's abundant wit and talent for expressing exactly what she perceived, making this an illuminating companion to her novels. The letters are divided into six sections:
Steventon 1796-1801: Early Creative Years
Bath 1801-1805: Farewells and Uncertainties
Southampton 1807-1809: New Perspectives
Chawton 1809-1813: A New and Settled Home
Chawton 1813-1816: Years of Fulfilment and Acclaim
Chawton and Winchester 1816-1817: Last Days