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9781982190248

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Reviews

""[A] gem of passionate criticism.... Jane Austen's Bookshelf stirred some emotions of my own. My penciled exhortations in the margins, some of excitement or communion, others of irritation, are in a way a response to Romney's invitation to join in her intellectual tussling. It may be how new canons are formed; it's certainly how enthusiasms are shared."" --New York Times Book Review ""A thrilling journey of adventure and self-discovery... On the one hand, Jane Austen's Bookshelf is about the women who influenced Austen. But it is much more than that. It is a meditation on reading and writing, on honesty and self-discovery -- and on what books can teach us, if we let them."" --The Washington Post ""Romney has chosen the perfect project to showcase her curatorial and research prowess, as well as her specialty in illuminating how the study of bookshelves can greatly inform our knowledge of historical figures or events. And who better to turn this perspective towards than Jane Austen, the architect of much of our modern literary culture? It's a perfect project, a perfect book."" --LitHub ""A can't miss for Austen fans and literary lovers alike."" --Town & Country ""[An] astute inquiry... Incisively dissecting how Austen's forebears got written out of the English canon [and] makes a vehement case that Austen's influences are major talents in their own right. This is a must for Janeites."" --Publishers Weekly ""What a wonderful book! JANE AUSTEN'S BOOKSHELF has everything a reader could desire: wit, passion, mystery, brilliant detective work, a love of rare books, a deep dive into literary history -- and, best of all -- the restoration of reputation for a group of great women authors whose names should never have been forgotten. I loved this book, and it will live on my own shelf forever."" --Elizabeth Gilbert, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things ""Intimate, informative, and fun, Romney takes us on a journey through her personal book collection and into the world of Austen, where we quickly learn there's so much more than meets the eye. This is an essential read forfans of Austen and the Regency and a guide to the women writers who make the era so irresistible."" - Bea Hodges-Koch, author of Mad and Bad and co-owner of The Ripped Bodice ""Rebecca Romney takes a cannon to the canon, tracing the history of the women writers who paved the way for Jane Austen. These overlooked authors struggled against debt, deadbeat husbands, horrific pregnancies, class prejudice, and the widespread idea that women couldn't and shouldn't write. Romney brings them vividly to life and makes the compelling case that they defined the modern English novel. Jane Austen's Bookshelf is a captivating narrative that weaves together history, feminism, and the enduring power of literature to move readers across centuries."" -- Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Plants ""When it came to Jane Austen, literary critics closed the window. Rebecca Romney throws the door wide open to provide a wonderfully fresh perspective. Powered by a graceful, engaging style, intelligence, wit and the heart of a passionate collector, Jane Austen's Bookshelf sweeps the reader along on a remarkable literary investigation that is both a journey of discovery and a work of insightful history. I loved this book. It is now on my personal bookshelf."" -- Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of Shattering Dawn

"""Rebecca Romney takes a cannon to the canon, tracing the history of the women writers who paved the way for Jane Austen. These overlooked authors struggled against debt, deadbeat husbands, horrific pregnancies, class prejudice, and the widespread idea that women couldn't and shouldn't write. Romney brings them vividly to life and makes the compelling case that they defined the modern English novel. Jane Austen's Bookshelf is a captivating narrative that weaves together history, feminism, and the enduring power of literature to move readers across centuries."" -- Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Plants ""When it came to Jane Austen, literary critics closed the window. Rebecca Romney throws the door wide open to provide a wonderfully fresh perspective. Powered by a graceful, engaging style, intelligence, wit and the heart of a passionate collector, Jane Austen's Bookshelf sweeps the reader along on a remarkable literary investigation that is both a journey of discovery and a work of insightful history. I loved this book. It is now on my personal bookshelf."" -- Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of Shattering Dawn"

"""Rebecca Romey takes a cannon to the canon, tracing the history of the women writers who paved the way for Jane Austen. These overlooked authors struggled against debt, deadbeat husbands, horrific pregnancies, class prejudice, and the widespread idea that women couldn't and shouldn't write. Romney brings them vividly to life and makes the compelling case that they defined the modern English novel. Jane Austen's Bookshelf is a captivating narrative that weaves together history, feminism, and the enduring power of literature to move readers across centuries."" -- Amy Stewart, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Plants ""When it came to Jane Austen, literary critics closed the window. Rebecca Romney throws the door wide open to provide a wonderfully fresh perspective. Powered by a graceful, engaging style, intelligence, wit and the heart of a passionate collector, Jane Austen's Bookshelf sweeps the reader along on a remarkable literary investigation that is both a journey of discovery and a work of insightful history. I loved this book. It is now on my personal bookshelf."" -- Jayne Ann Krentz, author of Shattering Dawn"

Author Information

Rebecca Romney is a rare book dealer and the cofounder of Type Punch Matrix, a rare book company based in Washington, DC. She is the rare books specialist on the HISTORY Channel's show Pawn Stars, and the cofounder of the Honey & Wax Book Collecting Prize. She is a generalist rare book dealer, handling works in all fields, from first editions of Jane Austen to science fiction paperbacks. Romney is the author of Printer's Error: Irreverent Stories from Book History (with JP Romney) and The Romance Novel in English: A Survey in Rare Books, 1769­-1999. Her work as a bookseller or writer has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Forbes, Variety, The Paris Review, and more. In 2019, she was featured in the documentary on the rare book trade, The Booksellers. She is on the Board of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and the faculty of the Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS-Minnesota).

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