A beautifully illustrated account of the letters and correspondence of Jane Austen.

It has been said that Jane Austen the woman and Jane Austen the author are all of a piece, and nowhere is this more evident to the lovers of her novels than in the pages of her letters. This handsome celebration of Austen's letters is illustrated with portraits, facsimile letters, topographical engravings and fashion plates, all helping to bring to life the world Jane Austen inhabited.

The letters, with an accompanying commentary by Penelope Hughes-Hallett, are separated into six periods of Jane Austen's life, between the years 1796, when she was twenty, and 1817, the year of her death. They celebrate Jane Austen's talent for expressing exactly what she perceived, making this an illuminating companion to her novels. Although the book follows a broadly chronological scheme, the letters are arranged round visual themes, including the Hampshire countryside, social life in Bath and London, domestic pursuits, paying visits and travelling by carriage.

The author, who was born in Jane Austen's Hampshire village of Steventon, lectured on English Literature for the Open University and the Oxford University Department of External Studies.

本书图文并茂地讲述了简·奥斯汀（Jane Austen）的信件和通信。

有人说，简·奥斯汀这个女人和简·奥斯汀这个作家是一体的，对于她的小说爱好者来说，这一点在她的信件中体现得淋漓尽致。这本关于奥斯汀书信的精美纪念册配有肖像、信件传真、地形雕刻和时装图版，所有这些都有助于真实呈现简·奥斯汀所居住的世界。

这些信件从1796年简·奥斯汀20岁到1817年去世，分为六个时期，并附有佩内洛普·休斯-哈莱特（Penelope Hughes-Hallett）的评论，颂扬了简·奥斯汀准确表达她所感知的东西的才能，让这本书成为简·奥斯汀小说的富有启发性的伴侣。虽然这本书大致上遵循的是时间顺序，但这些信件是围绕着视觉主题安排的，包括汉普郡的乡村、巴斯和伦敦的社会生活、家庭生活、拜访和乘车旅行。

作者出生于简·奥斯汀在汉普郡的斯蒂文顿村，曾为开放大学和牛津大学外部研究系讲授英国文学。