Book Review: Jane Austen’s Bookshelf

My credentials to write a review of Romney’s book are somewhat chary. I have never read a book by Jane Austen (Gasp!). When on vacation in Stratford, Ontario, our family attended a dramatization of Pride and Prejudice during which I promptly fell asleep. Yet here I am saying Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend is one of the best books I read this year. Why is that? It is easy to get caught up in Rebecca Romney’s quest.

There is a lot to learn in Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: about rare book collecting, about Jane Austen, about approaching books through multiple media, and about the women she found with connections to Austen. For a general reader, this was the best introduction to all these women born in the 18th Century who lived until the 19th who experienced success as writers.

The most interesting questions Romney answers is why the well-known authors she identifies fell out of favor among readers. She also explains the role of re-prints in perpetuating a writer’s legacy.

From beginning to end, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf was captivating, informative, and fun to read while following along with the author. If you care about books, this is one you will want to add to your to be read pile.