Title: A Jane Austen Year: Celebrating 250 Years of Jane Austen
Authors: Jane Austen’s House curators
Publisher: Pitkin
Publication date: March 11, 2025
Length: 208 pages
Genre: Non-fiction
Source: Purchased
Rating:

This beautifully illustrated book charts the life of one of the world’s most beloved authors through the letters, objects, and manuscripts that shaped her life.

Published in partnership with the curators of Jane Austen’s House, the enchanting Hampshire cottage where Jane Austen’s genius flourished that now attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Arranged over the course of a calendar year, from snowy scenes in January to festive recipes in December, specially commissioned photography of Austen’s home and possessions are brought together with extracts from her books, reproductions of her letters, and stories of her life throughout the seasons. Highlights include the first time Austen read a published copy of Pride and Prejudice to an enraptured audience in her drawing room, affectionate letters to her sister Cassandra reproduced in full and an exquisite miniature portrait of Tom Lefroy, the man she nearly married.

Read this book for a unique and intimate insight into Austen’s world. Dip into it as you will, or visit each month, and enjoy a full year of Austen—her life, works and letters, people and objects she knew, and of course her idyllic, inspiring home.

Note: Photos from book page on Amazon and the Jane Austen House website, plus a few photos I took myself…

If you’re looking for a special gift for the Austen-lover in your life — or if you’re just in the mood to treat yourself! — then look no further! A Jane Austen Year is a gorgeous illustrated book that’s perfect for anyone who loves the works and world of Jane Austen.

Put together by the curators of Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, this coffee table book is a delight to read through cover to cover, or simply to open at random to enjoy a page or two at a time.

The book is organized by month, highlighting a combination of historical events in the author’s life, seasonal references from her books, letters she wrote at that time of year, and other tidbits about the environment and the countryside where she lived. Photos, recipes, and book excerpts offer something different on every page.

I read through A Jane Austen Year over the course of about a week and a half, reading one month at a time, and savoring the photos and other content. The monthly approach is an interesting way to organize the material. I suppose it could be a bit confusing, since as a whole it’s not chronological — Jane’s birth and death, for example, are discussed in the months when they occur, as are other events from her life, so that we’re constantly jumping between years. That’s okay: If you’re looking for a biography of Jane Austen, this isn’t it. Nor does it pretend to be!

A Jane Austen Year truly is what its subtitle promises — a celebration. The variety of material is an absolute treat, which left me hungry for an opportunity to finally travel to Chawton and visit the Jane Austen House!

I’ll close by sharing a few photos that I took while leafing through the book one more time:

To learn more, visit the Jane Austen House website: https://janeaustens.house/
You can buy this book and other lovely items directly from their giftshop: https://jane-austens-house.myshopify.com/products/pre-order-a-jane-austen-year-hb
They’ve also got a podcast! Find out more: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2434395

To order via Amazon: Amazon 
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