Synopses & Reviews
Jane Austen’s best-loved novel is a memorable story about the inaccuracy of first impressions, about the power of reason, and above all, about the strange dynamics of human relationships and emotions. In this special colourized edition, Hugh Thomson’s delightful period illustrations, which were originally black-and-white, have been sensitively coloured by Barbara Frith, one of Britain’s most accomplished colourists. This beautiful edition is a fitting tribute in celebration of the book’s 200th anniversary.
Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) is the finest exponent of period illustration in what is sometimes known as the ‘powder and patch’ school. He was in great demand and he was commissioned to illustrate Shakespeare, Sheridan, Goldsmith, Hawthorne, Elizabeth Gaskell and the popular plays of J. M. Barrie as well as Jane Austen’s six complete novels.
Synopsis
A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and Prejudice shows how the headstrong Elizabeth Bennett and the aristocratic Mr. Darcy must have their pride humbled and their prejudices dissolved before they can acknowledge their love for each other.
About the Author
Though the domain of Jane Austen-s novels was as circumscribed as her life, her caustic wit and keen observation made her the equal of the greatest novelists in any language. Born the seventh child of the rector of Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16, 1775, she was educated mainly at home. At an early age she began writing sketches and satires of popular novels for her family-s entertainment. As a clergyman-s daughter from a well-connected family, she had an ample opportunity to study the habits of the middle class, the gentry, and the aristocracy. At twenty-one, she began a novel called "The First Impressions" an early version of Pride and Prejudice. In 1801, on her father-s retirement, the family moved to the fashionable resort of Bath. Two years later she sold the first version of Northanger Abby to a London publisher, but the first of her novels to appear was Sense and Sensibility, published at her own expense in 1811. It was followed by Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1815). After her father died in 1805, the family first moved to Southampton then to Chawton Cottage in Hampshire. Despite this relative retirement, Jane Austen was still in touch with a wider world, mainly through her brothers; one had become a very rich country gentleman, another a London banker, and two were naval officers. Though her many novels were published anonymously, she had many early and devoted readers, among them the Prince Regent and Sir Walter Scott. In 1816, in declining health, Austen wrote Persuasion and revised Northanger Abby, Her last work, Sandition, was left unfinished at her death on July 18, 1817. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral. Austen-s identity as an author was announced to the world posthumously by her brother Henry, who supervised the publication of Northanger Abby and Persuasion in 1818.